Visakhapatnam: Stones were pelted at a Vande Bharat Express train yet again and this time the Durg-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express was attacked during a trial run in Chhattisgarh’s Mahasamund district. This comes just days ahead of the inauguration of the much-awaited train.
The incident occurred when the train was passing through Bagbahra railway station on its way back from Visakhapatnam to Durg during its trail run around 9 pm on Friday, said Praveen Singh Dhakad, inspector of the Railway Protection Force (Mahasamund).
The Durg-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express train is to be flagged off from Durg on September 16 for a regular run.
The express train started from Durg, and passing through Raipur, it reached Mahasamund, from where it left at 7.10 am for the further journey. The official said that on the way back, some anti-social elements hurled stones at the train near Bagbahra, damaging window panes of three coaches, C2, C4 and C9. No one was injured in the incident.
पता नहीं क्यूँ कुछ लोगों को अच्छी चीज़, अच्छी सुविधाएँ रास नहीं आती है, वो अपनी हरकतों से बाज नहीं आते हैं।16 सितंबर से दुर्ग-विशाखापट्टनम के बीच #VandeBharatExpress की सौग़ात मिलने वाली है, पीएम मोदी वर्चुअल उद्घाटन करेंगे।कल इसका ट्रायल था, विशाखापट्टनम से लौटते वक्त… pic.twitter.com/mKKUugo94e
— Anshuman Sharma (@anshuman_sunona) September 14, 2024
Dhakad said a train escorting party of four RPF personnel, led by an assistant sub-inspector, sent an alert, following which a team of security personnel was sent to the scene.
Five persons have been arrested for pelting stones at the Vande Bharat train, PTI quoted an official as saying. The accused have been identified as- Shiv Kumar Baghel, Devendra Chandrakar, Jitu Tandi, Lekhraj Sonwani and Arjun Yadav. They are all residents of Bagbahra.
The men have been booked under section 153 (anyone who endangers the safety of a person travelling on a railway by a willful act or omission is punishable with up to five years in prison) of the Railways Act of 1989, the official said.
According to official sources, the arrested accused Baghel’s sister-in-law is a Congress corporator in Bagbahra.
Durg-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express
Vande Bharat Express (train no. 20829/30) will operate between Durg (Chhattisgarh) and Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh). This semi-high-speed train service is set to enhance connectivity between the two regions, with operations reportedly scheduled to begin on September 16.
- Operating Days: The train will run six days a week, with Thursday being the only day off for maintenance.
- Maintenance: Maintenance will be conducted at Durg station.
- Train Composition: The train will have 16 bogies.
Durg-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Train Schedule:
Durg to Visakhapatnam (Train no. 20829):
- Departure: 5:45 AM from Durg.
- Arrival: 1:45 PM at Visakhapatnam.
Visakhapatnam to Durg (Train no. 20830):
- Departure: 2:50 PM from Visakhapatnam.
- Arrival: 10:50 PM at Durg.