After receiving numerous reports of cattle run-over incidents along this stretch of the busy Mumbai-Ahmedabad route following the introduction of the semi-high-speed Vande Bharat train, the Indian Railways has begun construction of metal fencing. According to a formal announcement made on Sunday, the fencing is anticipated to be finished by the end of May.
Metal guard rails will be used for the fencing, and two W-beams will give it strength. Wide flanges, which are thicker and help to resist bend stress, are a sign of a W-beam type. Such fencing is used on highways and motorways, particularly at locations where accidents are likely to occur, to protect both vehicles and pedestrians.
According to the ministry, all tenders have been awarded and the work is progressing at a rapid pace. “The metal barrier fencing will cover a length of about 622 km between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, and will be undertaken at an approximate cost of Rs 245.26 crore. All eight tenders have been awarded and work is progressing in full swing,” the statement read.
In addition, the Western Railway has also appealed to cattle owners and grazers to not let their cattle near railway land or tracks. The cattle run-over incidents prompted the zonal railways to take steps to prevent them.
Such occurrences damage the train in addition to causing enormous losses to dairy farmers. In this instance, the accidents have damaged the Vande Bharat Express train’s leading driving trailer car’s replaceable nose cone, which is built to absorb the shock of accidents like this without endangering passenger safety.
The boundary walls will be put up alongside the tracks in the following five to six months, according to railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s November 2022 statement. According to information available as of December, 2,521 mail and express trains in 2022–23 were impacted by cattle hits.