Trains plying on the bridges over Vaitarna river are forced to slow down because of fears of derailment. File pic

While the new Talgo train has already set a new speed record when it roared from Delhi to Mumbai in 12 hours flat, it might have made even better time had it not been for the Vaitarna bridge, where it was forced to slow down to a third of its maximum speed of 150 kmph. This slow speed was necessary, because officials are no longer sure of how strong the bridge is, due to rampant sand mining in the Vaitarna river basin.