Vandals Target Vande Bharat Express Yet Again, Windows, Driver¡¯s Windscreen Damaged After Being Pelted With Stones

Vande Bharat Express, aka Train 18, India's most futuristic train so far has had a rocky start, to say the least.

Ever since it began trial run, vandals have been regularly taking aims at the indigenously built train. Saturday was no different as the Vande Bharat Express was once again hit by stones hurled at it.

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According to Railway officials the train was hit by stones during its Varanasi-New Delhi journey on Saturday, causing damages to the main driver¡¯s screen and some side windows.

A shower of ballast came flying towards the train near Achalda in Uttar Pradesh when the Dibrugarh Rajdhani, crossing on the adjoining line, run over a cattle, Northern Railways Chief Public Relation Officer said .

¡°The stone chunks hit the driver¡¯s windscreen and one each side outer glasses of windows of coach numbers C4, C6, C7, C8, C13 and two glass panes of C12, causing damage,¡± the CPRO was quoted as saying by PTI.

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¡°The enroute damage was assessed by the travelling technical team on board the Vande Bharat Express on sight and after careful examination, the train was found fit, so it carried on its onward journey to its destination station at its normal speed. The Train has since then reached New Delhi railway station at 11.05 pm,¡± the statement added.

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The semi-high speed train, which was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 15, has been hit by stones thrice in the past. Other than that the train had run into a cattle and developed technical snags on the very first day of its commercial operations which began on February 17.