Vande Bharat train accident: What Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said after 2nd such incident in two days

Vande Bharat Express train accident: The newly-inaugurated Mumbai-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat Express train hit a cow on Friday, the second such incident in two days. The accident occurred near Anand in Gujarat while Vande Bharat train was on its way to Mumbai, officials told news agency PTI.  

Reacting to the accident and how such collision can damage the train, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said that collisions with cattle on the tracks were unavoidable. The train, which can reach the top speed of 160 kmph, has been designed keeping the possibility in mind, he added. 

The incident took place at 3.49 pm between Kanjari and Anand stations, about 433 km from Mumbai, said Sumit Thakur, chief public relations officer of Western Railway. All the passengers were safe, he added.  

"The train's front portion has suffered a small dent," he added. Senior PRO Pradeep Sharma said the train resumed journey within ten minutes after halting. It was not clear immediately if the cow survived the accident. 

On Thursday, four buffaloes were killed after being hit by the train on its way to Gandhinagar from Mumbai between Vatva and Maninagar railway stations.  

Its nose panel had to be replaced overnight due to the damage. The nose panel on the other end suffered a dent in Friday's incident.  

No passenger was injured in the incident that occurred near Ahmedabad when the train was on its way to Gandhinagar.  

Railway authorities were trying to counsel nearby villagers not to leave their cattle near the track, railway authorities said. 

The driver of the train was fully alert. He immediately blew the train’s whistle and also applied brakes, but the reaction time was less.  

The CPRO said Western Railway (WR) will be undertaking fencing work on the Gandhinagar-Ahmedabad section to increase the speed of the train to 160 kmph and avoid such incidents in the future. 

The fencing work is likely to be completed by March 2024. Another official said three buffaloes died in the incident. 

With PTI inputs