Fortifying Vande Bharat Express: Railways begin fencing on all routes to prevent cattle accidents

New Delhi: The Indian Railways has begun fencing the rail tracks on which the newly launched Vande Bharat Express are run. Once complete, the state-of-the art trains will ply on tracks, protected by parallel range of fences.

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday shared a video of the same, giving a peek into how the tracks are being shielded for unhindered & unimpeded movement of the country’s new fleet of trains.

The move assumes significance in light of the fact that the Vande Bharat Express witnessed couple of cattle accidents on the tracks. The semi-high speed trains, galloping at a speed of over 150 km/hour, also came under attack by miscreants in West Bengal as they pelted stones resulting in significant damage to coaches.
In some cattle accidents also, the exteriors of Vande Bharat trains were damaged. The fencing will stop the straying of cattles near the rail tracks and hence stop such incidents in future.

Fencing on #VandeBharat routes started. pic.twitter.com/vENiAp3ej9

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) January 29, 2023

Such fencing is usually installed along highways & expressways in accident-prone areas to provide protection to vehicles as well as pedestrians.
On a pilot basis, the fencing has begun on the 622 km Mumbai-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express stretch. This train passes through a long stretch of open fields in rural Gujarat and Maharashtra and as a result met with cattle accidents.

About Rs 245.26 crore would be spent on the fence along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor alone.

Vande Bharat Express trains are the semi-high speed trains. In just couple of years of its launch, they have become a hit with travelers. Currently, the Vande Bharat Express runs on 8 routes of the country in various states.

Among the 8 routes is most notable 622-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad stretch.. This will also be the same train route where Bullet Train will have its inaugural run.