Obstruction on Vande Bharat tracks: Loco pilot pulls brakes, averts accident

The Udaipur-Jaipur Vande Bharat Express averted an accident in Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan on Monday as the loco pilot noticed an iron road and stones placed on its tracks and immediately stopped the train, officials said.

A North Western Railway (NWR) official said unidentified miscreants attempted to obstruct the rail route and an FIR was registered at the Gangrar police station of Chittorgarh in connection with the incident.

"Today, the loco pilot of the Udaipur-Jaipur Vande Bharat Express informed that a two-feet-long rod and some ballast and stones were placed on the rail route between Gangrar and Soniyana, which falls under the Ajmer division of NWR and in Chittorgarh district," NWR chief PRO Shashi Kiran said.

He said the alert loco pilot immediately stopped the train, removed the obstruction and informed higher officials.

The official said Government Railway Police and Railway Protection Force officials inspected the spot and added that strict action would be taken against those found responsible.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the Vande Bharat Express on the route on September 24 and the incident surfaced ahead of his address in Chittorgarh earlier in the day. A video of the obstruction on the tracks is circulating on social media.