Bhopal-New Delhi Vande Bharat Express Damaged After Hitting Cow

The Bhopal-New Delhi Vande Bharat Express resumed its journey after necessary repairs of the damaged front portion of the train due to an accident near Gwalior.

Image for representation

The newly-launched Hazrat Nizamuddin-Rani Kamalapati Vande Bharat Express hit a cow near Gwalior station in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday evening, resulting in damage to the train’s front portion, a Railway official said. The Rani Kamalapati-bound train (No 20172) hit the cow around 6.15 pm and stopped at the spot for about 15 minutes, the official said.

The accident took place when the animal suddenly came on the rail tracks going towards Dabra in Gwalior district, he said. After necessary repairs of the damaged portion, the train resumed its onward journey, the official added.

The semi-high-speed train between Rani Kamalapati (Bhopal) and Hazrat Nizamuddin (Delhi) was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 1. The train on this route departs from Bhopal's Rani Kamlapati station and travels to New Delhi's Railway Station. On its way, the train passes through the stations at Agra Cantt, Veerangana Laxmibai Jhansi, and Gwalior Railway Station. In its journey, the train covers 708 km in 7.45 hours.

Vande Bharat has sustained damage in similar accidents on multiple routes in India. To prevent such incidents, Western Railway Zone announced to build barricades covering tracks on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai stretch.