- Monday, March 10, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
It elite Vande Bharat Express which Indian prime minister Narendra Modi flagged off in Gandhinagar in his home state Gujarat on September 30 was involved in yet another incident on Friday (7), a day after it rammed into four buffaloes on the tracks in the western state that damaged its nose panel. The animals were killed.
On Friday, the Gandhinagar-Mumbai train hit a cow near Anand station in Gujarat around 3.48 pm local time which hurt the train’s nose panel again, but not as seriously as it was on Thursday (6). No injuries were reported in the minor accident.
ALERT! Semi High-Speed Vande Bharat Express hit by cattle on second consecutive day again. Incident between Kanjari & Anand stations on Friday on Mumbai-bound train. Damage on the other end. pic.twitter.com/ZOJGnH3bG0
— Rajendra B. Aklekar (@rajtoday) October 7, 2022
The newly launched train, one of the country’s fastest-running, underwent a quick repair after Thursday’s incident as its damaged nose cone was damaged but with yet another dent in the front, the train might have to undergo yet another surgery.
“The train’s front portion has suffered a small dent,” Sumit Thakur, chief public relations officer of Western Railway, told Press Trust of India, adding that all the passengers were safe.
On Friday, Indian railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in Anand that collision with cattle on tracks was unavoidable and this challenge has been kept in mind while designing the Vande Bharat Express.
“The train has been designed in such a way and it is so strong that if there is an accident, nothing will happen to the train. Its nose on the front is totally replaceable. As soon as the train reached Mumbai (after the incident on Thursday), it was completely cleaned up and its nose replaced,” Vaishnaw said.
The minister said this while interacting with students of an engineering college at Vallabh Vidyanagar.
The train has been designed “very thoughtfully,” he said.
“In India, the tracks are laid on the ground. Wherever you go, cattle will cross them, one cannot stop them. Unless we elevate the tracks in another 5-6 years, they (cattle) will come in front of the trains,” the minister said.
“The trains will run at a speed of 120-130-160 kmph and a collision is inevitable. It is a matter of common sense and design. Therefore, design it in such a way that you can mend it whenever there is such an incident,” the minister said.
The next version of the Vande Bharat train will run at a speed of 200 kilometres per hour (kmph), Vaishnaw added.
The latest updated version which runs on the Gandhinagar-Mumbai route has a top speed of 160 kmph.
