Mumbai-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat train DAMAGED within a week of launch, hits cattle: WATCH

Mumbai-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat Express train flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 30 has sustained damage after hitting a herd of buffaloes.

Image Source- Twitter

Following a slight collision with a herd of buffaloes in Gujarat on Thursday morning, the recently launched Mumbai Central-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat Express sustained minor damage, according to officials. Around 11:20 a.m., the incident took place between the Gairatpur and Vatva stations. According to a railroad spokeswoman, the collision damaged the engine's front end. " three-four buffaloes suddenly came on the way of Mumbai-Gandhinagar VB (Vande Bharat), damaging the nose made up of FRP (fiber-reinforced plastic)."

The spokesperson said no functional part was damaged in the incident. "The train moved just after removing carcasses (within 8 minutes) and reached Gandhinagar on time. The incident occurred at 11:18 between Gairatpur-Vatva station. The Railways is trying to counsel nearby villagers not to leave cattle near the track." Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the semi-high-speed train on September 30.

Less than a week after it’s inauguration Vande Bharat train damaged in #Gujarat today morning.

Its just few days Modi inaugurated this train.#GujaratElections2022 pic.twitter.com/kbUGke2DxV — FinalWarAgainstCorruption (@FWACorruption) October 6, 2022

The Vande Bharat Express train running between Mumbai and Gandhinagar is the third one of its kind. The Vande Bharat Express, created as part of the "Make in India" initiative, will link every region of the country, as PM Modi stated during his Independence Day speech last year. The government intends to have a total of 75 such trains. The Vande Bharat Express is a high-speed train that can reach a top speed of 160 kph and accelerate to 100 kph from a complete stop in about 52 seconds.

Due to rapid acceleration and deceleration, the train is capable of reaching high speeds and is expected to cut the travel time by 25-45 percent. For instance, the trip between New Delhi and Varanasi will take eight hours on schedule, which is 40–50% quicker than the quickest train that travels between these two cities.

With inputs from PTI