Puri Howrah Vande Bharat Express was partially damaged, and the overhead power cables snapped due to heavy wind of Nor’wester at an over-bridge near Baitarani Road in Jajpur district.
The 22896 Vande Bharat Express was hit by lightning and a hailstorm that cracked the windscreen of the driver’s cabin said officials. Officials said that the overhead electric wire was also damaged by an uprooted tree resulting in the train being stranded at the Baitarani Road railway overbridge for over two hours.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Puri Howrah Vande Bharat Express via video conferencing on 25 May 2023. The train has significantly cut down the travel time between Kolkata and Puri, the abode of Lord Jagannath, and it covers the 500 km distance between Howrah and Puri in around six and a half hours. This train is currently running six days a week.
Puri Howrah Vande Bharat Express Accident
“All the 250 passengers on the train are safe. A diesel engine will clear the train very soon from the site to Manjuri Road as the pantograph is entangled with the overhead wire. After the train is cleared up to Manjuri Road, it will again work with its normal engine up to its destination. The train is expected to travel to Howrah after 7.30 pm,” said an official of the East Coast Railways.
As per the latest updates from ECOR sources, the Relief diesel engine has been attached to the Puri Howrah Vande Bharat Express train at 8.10 pm. Final checking is being done. Passengers who are outside the train will board the train in a few minutes. The train will start around 15 minutes after the final safety check and other formalities.
The Puri Howrah Vande Bharat Express train is running with 16 coaches, stopping at Kharagpur, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur Keonjhar Road, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Khurda Road. This is the second Vande Bharat Express that West Bengal is getting after the Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express.
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