Flagged off on May 18 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat Express got struck by lightning and was damaged due to a hailstorm. Moreover, it was left stranded for over two hours at the Baitarani Road railway overbridge. This incident took place on May 21 after it left from Bhadrak Railway Station in Odisha. The express hence remains cancelled on May 22.
Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat Express Damaged
The recently flagged Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat Express was hit by lightning and hailstorms. Most of the damage on the semi-high speed train was sustained by the windscreen of the main engine. There were also damages sustained by the glass windows of many compartments.
Puri Howrah “Vande Bharat express” stand broken fall like pack of cards, haulted with litlle etc rain and strong winds.🔥
Thanku Modi ji these low quality trains are really changing the Paradigm of Indian railways.🫡 pic.twitter.com/NHqEkJPD6i
— Manu🇮🇳🇮🇳 (@mshahi0024) May 21, 2023
The express had covered a distance of 30 kilometres after departing from Bhadrak Railway Station in Odisha. The windscreen and driver’s screen of the cabin sustained cracks as the hailstorm hit. The overhead wires of the train were damaged by some uprooted trees. All this led to the express being stranded at the Baitarani Road railway overbridge for over two hours.
Additionally, there was a power outage at the Dulakhapatna-Manjuri Road Station. It has been only a week since the launch of this much anticipated Vande Bharat Express.
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No Casualties Reported
A diesel engine train helped clear the Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat Express and take it to Manjuri Road. The train then ran on its normal engine to reach the destination it set off for.
While this incident happened, there were 250 passengers on board. Luckily, no casualties were reported in this incident. Many passengers tweeted about the incident while they were stranded at the Baitarani Road railway overbridge. Some complained about the lack of electricity in the train, while others praised the staff for helping them with food.
#Repost
Sir I am Ashok kumar Sharma travelling from khurda road to Howrah in train no 22896 Puri Howrah Vande Bharat Train with my family( PNR no .6219869623).Today(dt.21/05/2023) the train is running late. Hopefully it will reach at Howrah around 3am instead of 8:30pm.— Nandita Bhardwaj (@natsbhardwaj) May 21, 2023
@drmkgp @RailMinIndia @RailwaySeva @EastCoastRail
Each staff in the train 22896 Puri-Howrah #VandeBharatExpress are relentlessly working hard to provide passengers with sufficient food & water when they haven’t had a single morsel of food. Please ensure they get proper meal too.— Baishakhee Mohapatra (@Mohapb204) May 21, 2023
Many passengers were disappointed as the train reached Howrah at 2am. The train remains cancelled for May 22, and some passengers tweeted about the same, asking about the absence of a standby rake.
The @RailMinIndia must have given sumptuous dinner to #Puri_Howrah #VandeBharatExpress passengers yesterday.
Has @AshwiniVaishnaw ji forgotten to tweet that?https://t.co/NnCZu494uc
— Bimal Pandia (@bimalpandia) May 22, 2023
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