"High Speeds...": Railways Bats For Vande Bharat Amid Safety Concerns
New Delhi:
Vande Bharat - Indian Railway's flagship service and the country's first indigenously designed and manufactured semi high-speed train - has several features, including the Kavach, a state-of-the-art automated train protection system, Southern Railway Monday evening.
The clarification came after a report by the Commission of Railway Safety - a statutory body acting as the railway safety authority - flagged the risk of serious accidents in cases where a Vande Bharat, which typically runs up to 160 km per hour, collides with cattle on the track.
The report also pointed to the weight of the first coach, which is much lighter than those attached to regular locomotives and may be more susceptible to high-speed damage.
The report was seen as significant given the Railways plans to run even regular trains at speeds up to 160 km per hour, necessitating the need for strong safety features onboard and off.
READ | Vande Bharat Train Hits Peak Speed Of 180 Kmph During Trials
"High speeds, enhanced safety standards, and world-class service are the hallmarks of this train," Southern Railway said from its Chennai HQ, explaining that the Vande Bharat's distinctive cone-shaped nose was designed to deflect impact energy.
"The front nose cone is designed to absorb energy in case of cattle hit. It is made of material that crumbles and absorbs impact energy. For additional safety, there is a cattle guard at the front to deflect anything that comes on the track," the release explained.
"Exactly for that reason, cattle hits have not led to major disasters."
Since its launch in February 2019, there have been numerous reports of Vande Bharat trains running into cattle. In January 2023, after several such incidents, Western Railways began erecting metal barriers along the more than 620-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad route.
That cost nearly Rs 243 crore.
Since then, according to Railway officials, over 3,500 km of tracks have been fenced.
There have also been recommendations to eliminate level crossings on Vande Bharat routes.
The commission has also recommended deploying RPF, or Railway Protection Force, personnel at spots frequented by cattle and building subways for animal movement.
Meanwhile, Chief Public Relations Officer M Senthamil Selvan also pointed to the Kavach system, noting the Vande Bharat trains had run around 3.5 crore kilometres, or around 870 times the Earth's perimeter, and that it had proven to be "safe and efficient".
As of December, there were more than 136 Vande Bharat services.
And, as the government presented its budget in February, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said there are plans for "200 new Vande Bharat trains" as part of a proposal to make rail travel faster.
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