The engineless train Vande Bharat seems to be running into one trouble after the other and in a span of a few hours on February 20 it first hit a motorcycle and then an animal. This occurred within a week of its inauguration. A day before its first commercial run, the semi-high speed train had hit a herd of cattle which resulted in the malfunction of one of its coaches.
The most recent incident happened on Wednesday when the train hit a motorcycle at 5:05 PM an animal at 8:18 PM. According to India Today, Vande Bharath, also known as Train 18, was making a trip from Varanasi to New Delhi when it hit an animal between Barthana and Ekdil railways stations near Tundla in Uttar Pradesh.
Due to this, the train had to come to a halt for 40 minutes at the spot of the incident for the engineer to thoroughly inspect the locomotive and ensure that it was working fine. At 8:59 PM, the train resumed its journey for a little over an hour after which it again came to a halt at 10:23 PM for another round of inspection. This took 17 minutes. The train again came to a halt for 10 minutes to check on the air pipe.
A few hours earlier, the train badly damaged a motorbike after a man illegally crossing a railway junction left his vehicle on the tracks when he saw the train approaching. The train was halted for 17 minutes to ensure its safety as well as the passengers'. The incident occurred near the Phaphamau, which is 42 km from Allahabad.
"The train hit a motorcycle, which was abandoned by its owner on the tracks as he saw the train approaching while illegally trespassing on the tracks. While the vehicle has completely been damaged, the Vande Bharat Express suffered none. No one was injured and the train will run as per schedule," Northern Railway Spokesperson Deepak Kumar was quoted as saying by PTI.
Vande Bharat was also subject to stone pelting on Wednesday morning near Tundla in Uttar Pradesh. This is not the first time stones were thrown at it. Two other incidents of stone pelting had resulted in damaged window panes.
