Gujarat: Vande Bharat train again collides with cattle, nose damaged
The Mumbai-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat Superfast Express was damaged after colliding with a cattle near Gandhinagar, Gujarat. This is the third such incident since the launch last month. Railways officials said the incident damaged the train's front part (nose) causing it to halt for nearly 15 minutes. The broken section of the train will now be repaired once the train arrives in Mumbai, they stated.
Why does this story matter?
The mishaps occur at a time when Indian Railways is touting Vande Bharat, the country's first indigenously built engine-less train project, as a game changer. The first train plied between Delhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency of Varanasi. The train was built under the Make in India initiative and is also the fastest train, having reached 180 km/h in a trial run.
What did officials say about the incident?
According to Indian Railways, the Vande Bharat train going from Mumbai to Gandhinagar collided with a bull near Atul station. They said the bull died in the collision that took place at around 8:15 am. However, the passengers aboard the train were safe and the train was running smoothly afterward and while the damaged portion will be repaired soon.
Third such accident since launch last month
The first incident occurred on October 6, when a herd of buffalo collided with the Vande Bharat train near Gujarat's Vatya station in the Punitnagar area. In this accident, four buffaloes were killed, and the front section of the train was damaged. On October 7, the train collided with a cow near Kanjari Boriyavi station in Gujarat's Kheda district, killing it.
Mumbai-Gandhinagar train flagged on September 30
PM Modi flagged off the third Vande Bharat train on September 30, between Gandhinagar and Mumbai Central. The fully air-conditioned train offers world-class facilities and comfort to passengers. It has several modern features such as automatic doors, reading lights, bio-toilets, and more. It was created at the Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory and is a wholly indigenous train.
Advanced train to boost tourism
This is an "advanced version" of the Vande Bharat trains, far lighter and capable of attaining faster speeds in a shorter period. It can accelerate to 100 km/h in 52 seconds. The advent of the train would assist enhance tourism in the region while also providing a more pleasant and speedier form of transportation, as per the official note.
