Train 18: Stones Pelted At India's Fastest Train On Trial Run; Window Pane Broken

Train 18, Railway’s fastest train which is scheduled to be flagged off on 29 December by PM Narendra Modi has already been vandalized during its trial run. Some miscreants pelted stones when the train was on the trail run between Delhi and Agra running with a speed of 180kmph. The stones broke one of the windows of the train.

“Some vandal threw a stone breaking a glass, hope we nab him,” tweeted Sudhanshu Manu, General Manager of the Integral Coach Factory that manufactured these state-of-the-art rakes, reported NDTV. According to the officials, the incident is being investigated.

Train 18 to replace Shatabdi Express

Train 18 is India’s first engineless train. It will soon replace Shatabdi trains, running between Delhi and Varanasi. This has become India’s fastest train by hitting a speed of 180kmph during its trial run on the route of Delhi-Rajdhani.

Manufactured at the cost of 100cr by ICF Chennai, Train 18 is fitted with best of amenities for passengers’ comfort. It has an onboard Wi-Fi, GPS based passenger information system, LED lighting, touch-free bio vacuum toilets and climate control systems to adjust the temperature according to the weather.

Reportedly, the train will have as many as 16 coaches with 52 seats in two consecutive compartments, and the trial coaches will have 78 seats.

As expected, the train will leave New Delhi station at 6 am and reach Varanasi at 2 pm, and the train will return to New Delhi station at 10.30 pm, the same day. Impressed by the Train 18’s performance, Railway Minister Piyush Goel has asked ICF Chennai to manufacture four more racks in the current financial year.

The Logical Indian Take

Incidents like these are not new in India. Last year, Tejas express, a high-speed train ran from Mumbai to Goa for its first trip. When it left, it was well-equipped with all the modern facilities, but it came back with fewer headphones, damaged infotainment screens and waste thrown all over the train, reported Hindustan Times.

The kind of response both the trains received, raises two severe questions. First, is it lack of education and awareness among people or that we don’t deserve to have advanced facilities in our country?

While we keep criticising the government on the kind of sloppy infrastructure we have been provided with in terms of schools, hospitals or roads, we also destroy government property when we get something beautiful. Our behaviour is beyond repair. We not only cause physical damage to the properties, but we also litter around, while claiming to be a supporter of the Swacch Bharat campaign.

The cribbing and hartals won’t help unless our attitude towards our nation and national property changes. We need to have a sense of belongingness towards our country and people need to know that they pay for these either services directly or indirectly. Also, we should not follow people blindly (if they have stolen it, why don’t we) instead, should take responsibility to stop them and make them understand that what they are doing is wrong.

The Logical Indian condemns such behaviour and urges the government to take strict actions against those who were involved.

Also Read: In One Yr, Passengers Stole 1.95 Lakh Towels, 81,736 Bed-sheets And More From Trains: Report