Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat Express damaged due to lightning, hailstorm in Odisha

Officials said that the overhead electric wire was also damaged by an uprooted tree resulting in the train being stranded for over two hours.

Updated on: May 21, 2023, 20:58:34 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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A Norwester accompanied by hailstorm damaged the windscreen of the main engine, as well as, the glass window of some compartments of the newly-launched Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat Express on Sunday afternoon 30 km away from Bhadrak railway station of Odisha, railway officials said.

The 22896 Vande Bharat Express was hit by lightning and a hailstorm that cracked the windscreen of the driver’s cabin, said officials.

Officials said that the overhead electric wire was also damaged by an uprooted tree resulting in the train being stranded at the Baitarani Road railway overbridge for over two hours.

Also Read: Modi flags off Odisha’s first Vande Bharat Express train

“All the 250 passengers on the train are safe. A diesel engine will clear the train very soon from the site to Manjuri Road as the pantograph is entangled with the overhead wire. After the train is cleared up to Manjuri Road, it will again work with its normal engine up to its destination. The train is expected to travel to Howrah after 7.30 pm,” said an official of the East Coast Railways.

Several passengers on the train took to social media to complain about the lack of electricity in the coaches after being stranded.

The 16th Vande Bharat Express, Odisha’s first semi-high-speed train connecting the holy city of Puri to West Bengal’s Howrah, was virtually flagged-off on Thursday by prime minister Narendra Modi who called it a symbol of India’s progress. The Indian Railways plan to run the express in all the states by next month.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More