During a routine maintenance check, railway officials identified a glitch in the undergear spring, necessitating the detachment of the top portion to replace the faulty component. This issue led to the delay in departure. In traditional trains, a malfunctioning coach can be swapped with a functioning one, a solution not applicable to Vande Bharat Express due to its single train set structure and the absence of a spare rake.
Nov.07: Passengers traveling on the Vande Bharat Express to Tirupati faced frustration and heated exchanges with South Central Railway (SCR) officials at Secunderabad station when the train, originally scheduled to depart at 6:15 a.m. on Monday, arrived six hours late at around 12 noon.
According to senior railway officials, a snag in the undergear spring equipment was identified during maintenance, leading to the detachment of the top portion for the replacement of a defective part in chair car coach C-2. This process resulted in a significant delay.
Unlike conventional trains where a malfunctioning coach can be replaced, Vande Bharat Express, being a single train set without a spare rake, presented challenges. The train eventually departed at 12:15 p.m., reaching Tirupati by 8 p.m., a stark contrast to the normal arrival time of 2:30 p.m.
Passengers, unaware of the technical issue, experienced a harrowing wait and received conflicting messages about the departure time. Despite attempts to seek clarification from station master Rajnarsu, passengers were left in the dark. The railway police had to intervene, accommodating frustrated passengers in a reserved lounge until the train’s arrival.
Many passengers had booked advance tickets for the darshan at Tirumala Temple and risked missing their allotted slots. Elderly passengers expressed concerns about taking medication without food on board.
Upon boarding, passengers were served breakfast at an unusual lunchtime of 1 p.m., and running water in toilets was reportedly unavailable until the train traveled a considerable distance.
Senior officials explained that without a spare rake, major snags necessitate halting the entire Vande Bharat Express, resulting in longer delays. They anticipated improved service from Wednesday onward after maintenance staff addressed issues.
Due to the delay in the incoming train, the return journey from Tirupati was rescheduled to start at 8:45 p.m. instead of the usual 3:15 p.m., arriving at Secunderabad station at 4:45 a.m. on Tuesday instead of 11:30 p.m. on Monday.
The Tirupati service, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April, initially as an eight-coach train, was expanded to 14 coaches due to high demand, with a capacity to carry 1,128 passengers.
