Another hitjob on Train 18 exposed: The problem is not the train, it is the media

The Vande Bharat Express, India’s first indigenously built engine less train was inaugurated yesterday by PM Modi. On its way back from Varanasi to Delhi, the train faced a disruption in the wee hours today about 18 km from Tundla. The train had to remain stationed at Barhein, 18 km from Tundla. The train resumed its journey and at 8:15 AM.

Certain mainstream media outlets tried suggesting that there was a technical failure/ snag with the Vande Bharat Express which led to the disruption.

However, according to the ANI, it seems that the disruption was caused due to cattle run over.

It must be noted that this was an inaugural run and not a commercial run. The commercial run of the train is scheduled to start from February 17. ANI quoted Railway Ministry, “Vande Bharat Express was standing 18km from Tundla since 6.30 am. There seems to be disruption due to a possible cattle run over. It wasn’t a scheduled commercial run. Commercial ops begin from 17 Feb. After removing the obstacle, journey to Delhi resumed around 8.15 AM.”

It is, therefore, clear that the Vande Bharat Express broke down most probably because of a cattle run over and there was no technical failure as is being suggested by the news traders.

It must be noted that the train was completing its journey towards Delhi through the night yesterday and as per a statement by the Railway Ministry, “The train was returning at night and a cattle run over is a possibility at odd times. After removing the obstacles the train resumed its journey and moved for Delhi at around 8: 15 AM.” It must also be kept in mind that according to officials this is not the normal run time as the train will operate during the day, they also said that the possibility of cattle runs and fog is higher at night.

This only shows that some sections of the media made an attempt to arrive at conclusions without waiting for the exact reasons for disruption in the train’s return journey. It is clear that there is a high probability of the disruption taking places due to circumstances beyond human control. Cattle runs and foggy weather are circumstances which are absolutely beyond human control and the railways cannot be expected to have some sort of control over them.

Train 18 (officially known as the Vande Bharat Express) is a major achievement for India. It is going to revolutionize rail journey in India and is going to prove to be a ground-breaking reform for the Indian Railways. It is unfortunate that certain elements within India tried hard to find a fault with it.