Mumbai Harbour Line, Howrah-Rourkela Vande Bharat hit by disruptions after technical snags

The incident took place at around 2.08 pm as the suburban train was entering Kharghar station, according to Central Railway chief public relations officer Swapnil Nila. The train was detained temporarily following the OHE disruption.

Bird contact with pantograph disrupts Kharghar services

Commuters reported seeing smoke coming from the pantograph of the train’s third unit after the incident, which caused concern among passengers at the station.

Railway personnel reached the location and carried out the required repair work. Train operations resumed at around 2.15 pm, officials said, although some services were delayed.

“The OHE tripping was caused after a bird came into contact with the pantograph,” Nila said, adding that some trains were delayed due to the incident.

Howrah-Rourkela Vande Bharat delayed by wheel-system snag

In a separate incident, the Howrah-Rourkela Vande Bharat Express was delayed by more than 1.5 hours after a technical problem was detected in its wheel system at Bisra station in Odisha, reported PTI.

The station falls under the Chakradharpur division of South Eastern Railway. The train remained at Bisra for around one hour and 40 minutes, Public Relations Inspector of the Chakradharpur division Abir Mishra said.

To help passengers continue their journey, South Eastern Railway arranged a separate rake. Travellers were also offered the option of taking a special train or a passenger service, though officials indicated that those alternatives could result in longer delays.

The Vande Bharat disruption also affected other train services on the route. The Brahmapur-Tatanagar and Rourkela-Howrah Vande Bharat services were delayed as a result of the disruption.

The Brahmapur Vande Bharat was rescheduled by one hour, while the Rourkela-Howrah service was rescheduled by two hours, officials said.