Overview
- An empty Vande Bharat chair‑car rake was moved from Hatia to Jhansi on October 24 and ran about 463 km while its coaches' braking systems were not applied.
- Loco pilots reported very poor brake power and filed written complaints at Ranchi and again at Muri, but controllers allowed the rake to continue in the same condition.
- Railway staff at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya station inspected the rake and found the braking systems on every coach had been isolated, so the train ran using only the locomotive's brakes and regenerative braking.
- A November 7 South Eastern Railway order opened a detailed probe and said preliminary findings point to failures by coach and wagon maintenance staff, section and traction controllers, and the train crew.
- The incident exposes gaps in how Vande Bharat braking must be integrated with a hauling freight locomotive and may lead to retraining, stricter pre‑departure checks, and wider safety audits after the Nov 11 derailment that raised similar concerns.