Ahmedabad: Several passengers travelling from Ahmedabad to Mumbai were stranded after heavy rain across Gujarat and Maharashtra led to the cancellation of key trains, including Vande Bharat, Shatabdi, Karnavati Express, and AC double-decker services. Railway authorities advised passengers to check the latest train status before starting their journey, as services are expected to remain affected until water levels recede.Western Railway suspended train operations between Gholvad and Umargam Road stations as a precaution after water levels on railway bridges reached the danger mark. The disruption led to the cancellation, diversion and short termination of several major trains on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai route on Thursday — Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Gujarat Superfast Express, Mumbai Central-Gandhinagar Capital Vande Bharat Express, Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express, Ahmedabad Shatabdi Express, Karnavati Express, AC Double Decker Express and Lok Shakti Express.Western Railway short-terminated the Ahmedabad-Dadar Gujarat Mail at Valsad, while the Bhuj-Bandra Terminus Kachchh Superfast Express and Bhuj-Dadar Sayajinagari Superfast Express were terminated at Udhna.The MGR Chennai Central-Ahmedabad Humsafar Express, Ahmedabad-Pune Express and Pune-Ahmedabad Duronto Express were diverted via alternate routes through Manmad and Jalgaon.Karan Patel, a resident of Satellite, said he was travelling to Mumbai for a meeting scheduled later in the day but was informed about the cancellation only after reaching the station. “Passengers should have been notified in advance,” he said.Rajnish Sharma, who had a visa interview scheduled in Mumbai on Friday, said he was to board the Vande Bharat Express but found only after reaching the station that the train had been cancelled. So, he booked a flight scheduled for Thursday night.After the cancellation of Ahmedabad-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express on Wednesday due to heavy rain in Gujarat and Maharashtra, IRCTC Ahmedabad distributed 1,400 meal packets prepared for passengers among the needy through an NGO.IRCTC Ahmedabad spokesperson Jitendra Kumar Jayant said the initiative was taken to ensure the freshly prepared food was properly utilised and did not go to waste.
