On first day, 'slow start' for India's fastest train

Published on 17-Feb-2019

Khushboo Razdan

"It's a bird...It's a plane...Watch India's first semi-high speed train built under 'Make in India' initiative, Vande Bharat Express!" That is how Indian Railways Minister Piyush Goyal described India's first indigenously built semi high-speed train last week in a tweet. He also posted a video of the train's trial run to flaunt its "lightning speed."

But the Minister attracted ridicule on social media after it was revealed that the video was fast-forwarded.

The "high-speed" promotion didn't help. On Saturday, the train made an embarrassing debut when it broke down on its first round trip, just a day after it was flagged off by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the capital's New Delhi railway station.

The engine-less train, on its way back from Varanasi in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, halted for about three hours after brakes in a carriage were reportedly jammed. "It was a case of skidding wheels after the train ran over cattle," Deepak Kumar, the Northern Railway CPRO, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. The clarification issued by the Indian railways claimed that the country's fastest locomotive faced a technical glitch due to an "external hit."

However, local media reported that there were no signs of damage on the front of the train. There was also a foul odor and mild smoke, and the train made thumping noises when the speed was increased. After the incident, all passengers on board, mostly journalists and railway officials, were shifted to another train.

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