Four major accidents in one month of operation of Vande Bharat Express

The Vande Bharat Express, previously known as Train 18, is a semi-high-speed, electric multiple unit train operated by the Indian Railways on 4 routes as of October 2022

Vande Bharat Express, the semi-high-speed passenger train, has recorded four major accidents in just one month of its operation this year. Incidents were majorly reported on the train’s Mumbai-Gandhinagar route, with an operational issue on its Varanasi-Delhi route.

Incidents were majorly reported on the train’s Mumbai-Gandhinagar route, with an operational issue on its Varanasi-Delhi route (HT Photo)

Woman hit near Gujarat’s Anand

A 54-year-old woman was killed on Tuesday after the Vande Bharat, coming from Ahmedabad, run her over. The incident took place when she was crossing the railway track near Anand railway station. The deceased, a resident of Ahmedabad, was identified as Beatrice Archibald Peter.

Herd of Buffaloes hit

In another incident in that took place in October, the semi-high-speed train hit a herd of buffaloes. The accident occurred between Gairatpur and Vatva railway stations. The impact was so hard that the front part of the fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) engine was ravaged.

Collision with a cow

In October again, a cow was hit near Atul station in Gujarat’s Valsad, which also damaged the nose cover of the engine. A similar incident took place on October 7 when the train hit another cow near Gujarat’s Anand.

Furthermore, the train also faced an issue with its operation in October this year when one of its rakes suffered a jammed wheel between Dankaur and Wair railway stations. According to the reports, it suffered a bearing defect in its traction motor in one of its coaches.