For the few hours that the tracks were in operational, however, rail traffic between Mumbai and Ahmedabad and Mumbai and New Delhi were thrown totally off gear. The exact reason for the derailment, which occurred around 5 a.m., is yet to be ascertained by the authorities.

With chaos reigning supreme at the Vadodara station, long queues of passengers were seen at the inquiry counter even as others squatted on the luggage. Complaints about the poor arrangements were aplenty as waiting room facilities fell far short of demand and announcements over loudspeakers were unclear at best.

Passengers ran from one place to another looking for options. Umesh Pandey, who was to travel on the Paschim Express to Delhi, told Express Newsline that the inquiry counter was of no help to passengers. ``The train was supposed to arrive at 5 p.m. But all they've said till 7 p.m. is that the train has been indefinitely delayed.''

Another passenger scheduled to travel by the Gujarat Express said that though the trains were delayed and the passengers were aware of the situation, the railways had made no alternative arrangements.

A senior divisional official, however, asserted that legally, the railways were under no obligation to make arrangements for stranded passengers. ``It is upto the passenger to decide on an alternative'', he said on condition of anonymity.

Station authorities said, however, that there were ways for the passengers to go up to Surat by road. A station official said, ``Road transport is available till Surat for passengers stuck at Valsad. And they can travel to Vadodara from Surat''.