Source:https://zeenews.india.com/railways/vande-bharat-expess-indian-railways-starts-fencing-on-mumbai-ahmedabad-route-to-avoid-cattle-accidents-watch-video-2567026.html
Publisher: Zee News
The semi-high speed trains called Vande Bharat Express have become a huge hit among rail travellers in India. The Vande Bharat Express trains now run on 8 routes across various states in India, all of them being inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself. Among these 8 routes is the 622-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad route, which is important for the Indian Railways. The route will serve as the inaugural run of the upcoming Bullet Train project, made in partnership with Japan. Before the Bullet Train arrives, Vande Bharat is serving as the preferred mode of transport for the people who travel on this route.
However, this route of Vande Bharat Express has been in the news for other reasons as well. The Express runs mostly through vast open fields, passing through rural Gujarat and Maharashtra, resulting in multiple cattle run incidents, causing damage to the train. After multiple such incidents, Indian Railways has now begun constructing metal beam fencing along the 622-kilometre stretch between Mumbai and Ahmedabad to protect against cattle run-overs.Â
The fencing along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route will cost approximately Rs 245.26 crore. All eight tenders have been awarded and work is progressing in full swing, the Railway ministry said Sunday. The work is expected to be completed by May end. The fencing will be of guard rails made of metal. Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has also shared a video on Twitter to share the update on the construction work.
“The fencing is very robust as it consists of two W-beams. A W-beam type stands for wide flanges, which are thicker, that aid in resisting bend stress. Such fencing is used in highways and expressways, especially at accident-prone areas to provide protection to vehicles as well as pedestrians,” the Railways said.
Train losses due to cattle/human run-over incidents increased this year against the year before, Railway ministry data shows. While 2,115 train loss cases were reported in FY 2022, 2,650 were reported in just six months between April and October 2022.
