The train came to a halt at Chamraula, just before dawn, 18 km ahead of Tundla station, after its wheels started skidding reportedly after it ran over some livestock. The train came to a halt around 5.30 a.m. near Chamraula station, according to railway officials. After some checking, the train started its onward journey but slowly and haltingly before it came to a stop. A couple of hours later, it left for Delhi after 8.30 a.m. Officials said the braking system could not cope with the speed of the train and so the on-board mechanical engineers decided to put a halt to the train and engaged in a complete check. Northern Railway spokesperson Deepak Kumar said, "There was some communication and electrical failure due to which the brakes of the train got jammed." He said that the wheels of the affected coaches started skidding. However, the train later resumed its journey after the on-board engineers fixed the problem, Kumar said. The Vande Bharat Express, which is scheduled to start its commercial run from Sunday, arrived in New Delhi around 1 p.m. on Saturday, seven hours behind schedule. The new train had started its return journey from Varanasi on Saturday night at 10.30 p.m., 45 minutes after it had reached the parliamentary constituency of the Prime Minister on its inaugural run. Railways spokesperson Smita Vats Sharma said that this was not a scheduled commercial run. "Commercial operation of Vande Bharat Express starts from February 17," she said. "The train resumed its onward journey for Delhi at around 8.15 a.m from Chamraula," she said. On Saturday, the train was flagged off by Modi from New Delhi Railway Station at 11.20 a.m. The 16-coach train will have two executive compartments with 52 seats each and chair car coaches with 78 seats each.<doc-sep>A day after its inauguration, India’s first semi-high speed train, Vande Bharat Express (also known as Train 18) broke down on Saturday, 16 February, The Indian Express reported. According to the newspaper report, Vande Bharat express was being brought to Delhi from Varanasi but began making a suspicious sound as the wheels of the train skid and the breaks jammed in one of the trailing coaches. Soon after this, the electricity in four coaches went off – forcing loco pilots to halt the train nearly 15 km away from Tundla junction in Uttar Pradesh. “Vande Bharat Express was standing 15 km away from Tundla since 6:30 am. There seems to be disruption due to a possible cattle run over,” an official told ANI. Officials have rushed to the spot to figure out the next course of action. It is likely that Vande Bharat Express will be taken to the nearest maintenance station. The train is not yet opened for commercial run.<doc-sep>Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor<doc-sep>
India's semi-high speed train Vande Bharat Express which was flagged off by PM Narendra Modi yesterday, breaks down around 5.30 am this morning on its return from Varanasi to Delhi. According to railway officials who didn't want to be identified, there was a major technical fault that led to break locking and wheel friction. To add on there was complete power failure to four coaches. Till 7.50 am the Indian Railways failed to identify and rectify the problem. On the question of whether the Train 18 or Vande Bharat Express was fit for commercial run tomorrow, railway officials were mum. Notably, Train 18 is completely booked and has waiting list till February 24. Vande Bharat Express is expected to start it's commercial operations tomorrow. The reporter who was on board along with few other media officials felt sudden breaks being applied around 5.30 am at Barhan around 18 km from Tundla station. A railway official on condition of anonymity said, "If the engineers are unable to rectify the problem, the train would be towed using another engine. But there would be problem in attaching engine. Engine coupler is covered and the coupler cover needs to be removed. He added that it is still unclear if commercial operations will be started from Sunday onwards. The train resumed it's operations around 10.30 am and reached New Delhi railway station at 1pm. According to railway officials the train was driven at speed of around 100km/h on enroute to Delhi after rectifying the fault. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics