Shocking mix-up: Goa Express departs 90 minutes before time, leaving 45 passengers stranded

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Vasco da Gama Nizamuddin-Goa Express were left stranded at the Manmad junction due to an unforeseen turn of events. The train, following a route diversion, arrived at the station an astonishing one-and-a-half hours earlier than its scheduled time and departed promptly, catching unaware passengers off guard.

Typically slated to arrive at 10.35 am, the Goa Express surprised commuters by rolling into Manmad junction at 9.05 am on the fateful Thursday. However, before the majority of ticket-holding passengers could even reach the station by 9.45 am, they were dismayed to discover that their train had already departed.

In their state of agitation, the distressed passengers confronted the station manager to seek clarification and demand alternative travel arrangements. The glaring question on everyone's mind was how a train could leave ahead of its predetermined schedule.Shivraj Manaspure, the chief public relations officer of the central railway zone, revealed that the Goa Express, which typically passes through Miraj, Pune, and Daund en route to Manmad, had been diverted that day through Ratnagiri, Panvel, Kalyan, and Nashik Road.

The unexpected diversion led to the train's early arrival at 9.05 am, which should have prompted a waiting period until its regular departure time, but this protocol was inexplicably overlooked. To address the passengers' predicament, railway authorities accommodated them on the Mumbai-Howrah Gitanjali Express, which shared a common route with the Goa Express up to the Bhusawal junction.

At 11.26 am, the Gitanjali Express, despite not having a scheduled halt at Manmad, made an unscheduled stop to allow the 45 stranded passengers to board. Simultaneously, instructions were issued to the station