A video is circulating on social media platforms showing a conventional electric locomotive hauling a newly introduced Vande Bharat train. The claim accompanying the post suggests that it demonstrates the strength of conventional trains built during the Congress government, as they are seen pulling the defective Vande Bharat Express manufactured during the Modi government. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Visuals of a Conventional Electric Locomotive pulling a defective Vande Bharat Train.
Fact: The video shows an empty and new Vande Bharat Express train being pulled by a conventional locomotive in preparation for its launch on the Patna-Ranchi route. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
We conducted a reverse image search of the viral video, and it led us to the original video uploaded on Instagram by the channel ‘railwala_18’ on 22 June 2023. The video’s description states, “WAG9 leading Brand New 16 Coacher Vande Bharat Rake towards Patna.”
However, as the video gained traction on social media, it was accompanied by numerous misleading narratives. East Central Railway promptly issued multiple clarifications (here & here), stating that the video actually depicts an Empty Coaching Rake being transported for the purpose of commissioning.
Moreover, the video’s uploader, Shashank Jaiswal, residing in Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar, offered additional clarification. Jaiswal stated that the video was recorded during the transportation of the Vande Bharat Express from Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction to Patna Junction. It is worth noting that the Patna-Ranchi Vande Bharat train was officially launched on 27 June 2023, as reported.
Additionally, according to the Indian Railways, as quoted by Hindustan Times, when a train is first introduced to the tracks, it is pulled by another locomotive until its designated route is finalized. Only after the route announcement, the train is operated by its assigned locomotive pilot and crew members. During these trial runs, the train is operated by a driver who is familiar with the specific route. Similar visuals of Vande Bharat trains being transported by general locomotives from the coach factory to their respective destinations can be observed in multiple instances as seen here, here, and here.
To sum it up, the viral video depicts an empty and new Vande Bharat Express train being pulled by a conventional locomotive during its commissioning on the Patna-Ranchi route. However, the video is misleadingly shared as a defective Vande Bharat Express being hauled by an old locomotive.
