Gujarat: Vande Bharat train runs over cattle near Valsad station

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A Vande Bharat Express train ran over cattle near Gujarat's Valsad railway station and was forced to halt for nearly 20 minutes before resuming its journey on Monday evening, an official said.

The Gandhinagar-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express ran over the animal around 2 km from Valsad railway station in south Gujarat and was forced to halt for nearly 20 minutes as the carcass was removed from its wheels, station master of Valsad railway station S K Dutta said.

The incident occurred around 6.19 pm, and the train left for its destination at 6.40 pm after the carcass was removed, Dutta said.

The Gandhinagar-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September last year. Days after its inauguration, it had hit four buffaloes and its nose cone had to be replaced.

After a spate of such incidents, the Western Railway (WR) has commenced the work of erecting metal barriers along the more than 620-km-long Mumbai-Ahmedabad trunk route with the aim to stop animals from straying onto the tracks.

The Western Railway said in January this year, that incidents of cattle being run over adversely affect rail operations, increasing the possibility of accidents and causing loss to Railway property.

Such incidents also endanger the lives of cattle and cause financial loss to their owners.

The metal fencing will cover a length of 622 km and the entire project will cost Rs 245.26 crore.

The Western Railway has appealed to cattle owners and grazers to not let their domesticated animals come near the railway tracks.

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