1st trial run of Vande Bharat successfully done

Ramgarh: The first trial turn of the much-awaited semi high-speed Vande Bharat Express was successfully conducted section-wise between Patna and Ranchi on Monday.
The train, which has a top speed of 160km per hour, ran with only a few officials and reviewers and passed difficult terrain, hilly region, and four tunnels at a low speed during the trial.
It entered the Barkana railway station, 66 km away from Ranchi, at 11.23 am according to the schedule. The train left for Ranchi after five minutes of stoppage time.
The railways said multiple trial runs of Vande Bharat would be conducted before the start of passenger service.
Officials said running semi high-speed trains in difficult terrain was a challenge in the section which is more or less comparable to the Konkan railway line.
Talking to TOI, Birendra Kumar, the chief public relation officer of the East Central Railway (ECR), Hajipur zone, said, “The Vande Bharat trial run between Patna and Ranchi — a 410km distance, including 202km stretch from Koderma to Ranchi — as per schedule will be reviewed by safety commissioners.”
He further said, “More details will be known after we receive reports from the technical experts who studied and collected data from the trial run. It was also a part of training not only for crew members but also for the technical and administrative staff who will be involved in the passenger service of the Vande Bharat Express.”
Kumar also said the train is capable of doing 160km per hour but limits were set for sections as it passes through hills and four tunnels of 3.5km length which falls under the low-speed section in the 27 km-long Sidhwar (Ramgarh) and Sanki (Ranchi) stretch. It is the first express to run across hills crossing four tunnels with the longest tunnel measuring 1.7 km and other three others of 600 metres each, he added.
The public relation officer of the Dhanbad division of the ECR, Joydeep Ghosh, said, “No passengers were allowed on the train during its Monday trial run. With eight coaches doing the trial run, the railways issued an advisory to the people to keep their distance from the train and keep a close watch on their cattle so that no animals are on the tracks.”
Jayant Sinha, the local MP, who travelled on the train in the 137-km section from Koderma to Barkakana junction of ECR after getting permission from railway authorities, said the Vande Bharat Express would bring a revolutionary change in the train journey for people in Jharkhand and Bihar.
Barkagaon MLA Amba Prasad, who visited Barkakana junction for the trial run, offered sweets to Jayant Sinha. The MLA also distributed sweets among the people.
Prasad, the youngest legislator in the assembly, said the state government has played a big role in the completion of the Koderma-Ranchi via Barkakana rail section.