Averting a mishap, Vande Bharat Express train from Udaipur and Jaipur on Monday was stopped in the Gangarar-Soniyana section after some ballast were found placed on the track and of two rods, of one foot each, in the joggle plate. An FIR has been registered in connection with the incident, said Nort-Western Railway Chief Public Relation Officer Shashi Kiran, adding strict action will be taken against those involved in this. In a video shared by ANI, medium to large-sized rocks were found piled up on either side of the rods on the track.
"A Vande Bharat Udaipur-Jaipur Express travelling from the Gangarar-Soniyana section was stopped due to the placing of some ballast on the track and of two rods, of one foot each, in the joggle plate on the said route,” said the CPRO.
“An FIR is being registered. Strict action will be taken against those involved in this," he added.
The alert loco pilot immediately stopped the train and removed the obstructions and also informed higher officials, he added. The official said Government Railway Police and Railway Protection Force officials inspected the spot and added that strict action would be taken against those found responsible.
There have been earlier instances of safety hazards on Vande Bharat express trains. On August 10, an unauthorised passenger on Tirupati–Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express was seen smoking inside a toilet triggering a false fire alarm.
The incident took place in coach C – 13 on Train No. 20702 after passing Gudur, said a railway official, as per news agency.
"An unauthorised passenger boarded the train from Tirupati and locked himself in the toilet of C-13 coach... The passenger smoked inside the toilet which resulted in automatic activation of aerosol fire extinguisher present inside the toilet," an official from South Central Railway (SCR) Zone's Vijayawada Division informed in a press release, as per PTI.
In July, battery box of a coach of the Vande Bharat Express train from Bhopal to New Delhi caught fire West Central Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Rahul Shrivastava said that smoke was seen in in train number 20171, that travels from Rani Kamlapati Station to Nizamuddin after it caught fire. He said, later on the train was stopped at Kurwai Kethora station and the fire brigade extinguished the flames.