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Una-New Delhi Vande Bharat run completes inaugural trip amid fanfare
Train gets rousing receptions at its halts in Chandigarh, Mohali and Ambala; showered with flower petals as it zipped past other stations
The fourth Vande Bharat Express train, connecting New Delhi and Amb Andaura in Himachal Pradesh’s Una, flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, received rousing receptions at its halts in Chandigarh, Mohali and Ambala.
The train’s first halt, an unscheduled six-minute stop at Mohali on the request of Bharatiya Janata Party workers at 12.23 pm, saw party cadres greeting Union railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and others on board.
At Chandigarh, meanwhile, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, his cabinet ministers, members of Parliaments (MPs) from the state and other leaders joined the inaugural run, boarding the train to Ambala Cantonment.
The train had reached Chandigarh at 12.45 pm, nearly an hour behind schedule reportedly caused by a delay at the flagging-off ceremony. The discussion here covered the need for implementing proper safety measures on railway tracks to avoid accidents with cattle.
Notably, the newly-launched Mumbai Central-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat Express train running into a herd of buffaloes near Ahmedabad had left the authorities red-faced just a week ago.
The train was in for another surprise at Ambala Cantonment, where it arrived at 1.45 pm amid sloganeering. Haryana home minister Anil Vij welcomed the people on board during its eight-minute stoppage.
Speaking to reporters, Khattar said, “The train will be very helpful for the state commuters as it will reduce the travel time between the national capital and the state capital with utmost comfort.” He also highlighted the fact that of the four Vande Bharat trains launched in the country yet, two will have a stoppage at Ambala Cantonment.
Vij, who travelled with the railways minister to New Delhi on the train, meanwhile, said as the son of a railway employee, he had witnessed the railways make the journey from coal-run engines to diesel locomotives to now electric trains.
The train did not have any stoppage in Haryana outside of Ambala, but the saffron party workers were seen waiting at all the railway stations including Kurukshetra, Shahbad, Karnal and Panipat, showering the train with flowers as it zipped past them.
