On first day, 'slow start' for India's fastest train

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"It's a bird...It's a plane...Watch India's first semi-high speed train built under 'Make in India' initiative, Vande Bharat Express!" That is how Indian Railways Minister Piyush Goyal described India's first indigenously built semi high-speed train last week in a tweet. He also posted a video of the train's trial run to flaunt its "lightning speed." But the Minister attracted ridicule on social media after it was revealed that the video was fast-forwarded.

The "high-speed" promotion didn't help. On Saturday, the train made an embarrassing debut when it broke down on its first round trip, just a day after it was flagged off by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the capital's New Delhi railway station.

The engine-less train, on its way back from Varanasi in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, halted for about three hours after brakes in a carriage were reportedly jammed. "It was a case of skidding wheels after the train ran over cattle," Deepak Kumar, the Northern Railway CPRO, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. The clarification issued by the Indian railways claimed that the country's fastest locomotive faced a technical glitch due to an "external hit."

However, local media reported that there were no signs of damage on the front of the train. There was also a foul odor and mild smoke, and the train made thumping noises when the speed was increased. After the incident, all passengers on board, mostly journalists and railway officials, were shifted to another train.

Piyush Goyal tweeted the train was "zooming past at lightning speed."

Trainspotter Abhishek Jaiswal replied with the original footage, which he said he filmed in December for his railway-themed YouTube channel.

India's railways minister was mocked for sharing a video of a "high-speed" train that turned out to be a time-lapse of a slower train.

Traveling at a speed of 40 kilometers per hour, the train reached New Delhi on Saturday afternoon after a 14-hour journey, longer than the expected completion time of eight hours.

Formerly known as Train 18, it's being billed as India's fastest with a maximum operational speed of 160 kilometers per hour.

The train is equipped with modern facilities, such as automatic doors with retractable steps, Wi-Fi and CCTV cameras. It also has GPS-based passenger information system, modular toilets with bio-vacuum systems, and rotational seats that can be aligned in the direction of travel.

The train embarked on its first commercial run on Sunday with the railways minister declaring that the tickets for the next two weeks were "sold out."

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags off India's first semi-high speed express train Vande Bharat Express at New Delhi Railway Station, India, February 15, 2019.

Vande Bharat Express left Delhi for Varanasi on its first commercial run on Sunday. Tickets were already sold out for the next two weeks, Piyush Goyal tweeted.

But the opposition parties aren't impressed. With general elections scheduled for May, a temporary breakdown of the train was enough to spark a political war of words. Opposition Congress party president, Rahul Gandhi, mocked Modi's signature project "Make in India," claiming that "most people in the country feel that it's a failure" and needs a "serious rethink." Goyal in response questioned the opposition leader's "mindset."

Modernization of the world's fourth-largest railway network is one of the biggest talking points this election season. "It's definitely part of the narrative. The Modi government is mentioning it as one of their major achievements," said political analyst Neerja Chowdhury while speaking to CGTN Digital, adding that "charges will run thick and fast since it was a high-profile launch by the prime minister."

Some critics say that the Modi government, by claiming credit for high-speed trains, is only trying to divert attention from the crucial issues of jobs, the economy and agrarian distress. "Bullet train is not even part of the priority list. People need jobs and government cannot fool them by posting fake videos," senior journalist Swati Chaturvedi told CGTN Digital.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Indian Railways Minister Piyush Goyal engaged in a war of words over the breakdown of Vande Bharat Express on Saturday.

India has trains that run at a speed between 120-150 kilometers per hour. Presently, it takes at least 15 hours for passengers to cover a distance of almost 1,400 kilometers from New Delhi to India's financial hub Mumbai. Compare it to China's high-speed rail network, which takes just four hours and 30 minutes in a high speed train to travel from Beijing to Shanghai, which are over 1,200 kilometers apart.

Though the Modi government announced a 508-kilometer Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project in 2017, the land acquisition process still isn't finished and is expected to miss its 2022 deadline. Many railway officials argue that India is not yet ready to travel in the fastest lane.

"We are 100 percent against bullet trains in India. Our tracks are not strong enough to carry such fast trains. The government needs to first improve basic infrastructure; otherwise, it will lead to more accidents," said M Bharani Bhanu Prasad, assistant general-secretary of South Central Railway workers' union National Federation of Indian Railway, while speaking to CGTN Digital.

At least six people were killed and 20 others were injured after nine coaches of a superfast train derailed in northeastern state of Bihar, February 9, 2019.

Commuters travel in an overcrowded train near a railway station in Ghaziabad, on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, February 1, 2019.

India's huge railway network is notorious for deadly accidents that claim hundreds of lives every year. In October last year, about 60 people were killed after a speeding train rammed into a crowd of revelers celebrating a religious festival. At least six people were killed and 20 others were injured on February 4 after nine coaches of a train derailed in the northeastern state of Bihar.

Despite challenges, India continues to modernize its rail network. Experts believe that infrastructure development would create immense opportunities in one of the world's fastest growing economies.