Another Vande Bharat Train Rams Into Cattle; Railway Minister Vaishnaw Says It’s Inevitable

Gandhinagar: For the second consecutive day, a Vande Bharat Express train on the Mumbai-Gandhinagar route rammed into cattle on Friday.

The nose panel of the engine suffered minor damage as the semi-high speed train hit a cow near Anand station in Gujarat, PTI reported.

On Thursday, the newly-introduced Vande Bharat train collided with a herd of buffaloes between Vatva and Maninagar stations in Gujarat. The train’s cone nose was damaged and a part of the front panel came off. It was repaired in a few hours.

FIRs have been registered against cattle owners in both incidents. Police are yet to trace the cattle owners.

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said collision with cattle on railway tracks is unavoidable and this has been kept in mind while designing Vande Bharat trains.

“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 Thursday’s incident), it was completely cleaned up and the nose replaced,” Vaishnaw said on Friday.

“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 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,” Vaishnaw said, adding that the next version of Vande Bharat train will run at 200 kmph.