india

Updated: Feb 15, 2019 07:33 IST

India’s fastest Train 18, which will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 15, has seen a tough period of trial.

The Rs 100 crore Train 18, to be called the Vande Bharat Express, has had stones hurled at it during trial runs at least on two occasions.

The window of one of the coaches of the engineless train was damaged in December last year when some unidentified people threw stones at it during a trial run between Delhi and Agra.

The Indian Railways had appealed to people to desist from damaging railway property hours after the incident.

Also read: Muffins, doughnuts for breakfast, and five-star dinner on Train 18

Train 18 was attacked again earlier this month when it left Delhi’s Sakurbasti to reach New Delhi to begin its trial run to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh late in the night. Railway officials had said that the window glass of the second coach from the front was hit near Sadar area under Delhi Lahori Gate post.

They said no one was hurt in the incident and that no one was arrested.

Also read: After feedback, Railways reduces ticket prices of India’s fastest Train 18

Train 18, manufactured by Integral Coach Factory in Tamil Nadu’s Chennai, recently became India’s fastest train after it hit speeds of over 180 kmph during a trial run on a section of the Delhi-Rajdhani route. It will eventually replace the decades-old Shatabdi Express.

The Indian Railways recently named the indigenously manufactured Train 18 as Vande Bharat Express in an acknowledgement of its made-in-India status. The semi-high speed train is set to run between New Delhi and Varanasi at a maximum speed of 160 kilometres per hour.