Vande Bharat Express hits cow in Gujarat; collision with cattle unavoidable, says Railway Minister

According to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, such collisions with cattle are unavoidable "This was considered when designing the train. Its front nose can be completely replaced," said the minister.   

The Vande Bharat Express, which runs between Gandhinagar and Mumbai, collided with a cow near Anand station in Gujarat on Friday, a day after the express collided with a herd of buffaloes. Officials said the train had only a dent in its front bumper and had to be stopped for 10 minutes. The incident occurred on Friday at 3:48 pm near Anand, about 432 kilometres from Mumbai.

The newly launched semi-high-speed train collided with four buffaloes on Thursday, and its 'nose' cone broke off. It resumed after an eight-minute halt as damage to the nose, a fibre-reinforced plastic bumper, is not critical to the functioning. 

Such collisions with cattle are unavoidable, according to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and "this has been kept in mind while designing the train. Its front nose is completely replaceable," the minister said earlier today.

"The train's front portion has suffered a small dent," said Sumit Thakur, Western Railway's chief public relations officer, adding that all passengers were safe.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the train last month and rode it from Gandhinagar to Ahmedabad's Kalupur railway station.

According to the railways, the train can reach 160 km/h in just over two minutes and has better riding comfort than other trains.

The major systems of the Vande Bharat Express were designed and built in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' vision.

"The impact of this train is that it meets global standards of performance, safety, and passenger comfort while costing less than half of global prices," said the Railways.

The train is the country's first semi-high-speed train with first-rate passenger amenities.

The train collided with buffaloes yesterday around 11 am on its way back from Mumbai to Gandhinagar, between Batwa and Maninagar, ahead of Ahmedabad.