Smoking incident on Visakhapatnam-Secunderabad Vande Bharat causes outrage

A video about a recent smoking incident on the Visakhapatnam-Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express has garnered attention on X (formerly Twitter) and sparked safety concerns among passengers. A traveler reportedly smoked a cigarette inside the train’s toilet, causing smoke to spread throughout the coach. Many passengers, especially women and the elderly, experienced discomfort and suffocation due to the strong odor.

A video allegedly capturing the incident has gone viral on social media. In the clip, passengers can be heard complaining to the ticket collector (TC), who himself admitted that he was also affected by the smell. Despite the complaints, no immediate action was taken. Some passengers even requested that the train stop for a couple of minutes and the doors be opened to ventilate the coach.

The smoking incident occurred on Train No 20707/20708, one of the most popular Vande Bharat Express services running between Secunderabad and Visakhapatnam.

Additional Stoppage for Vande Bharat Express at Eluru

In a separate update, South Central Railway (SCR) has announced that the Vande Bharat Express will continue to have an additional stoppage at Eluru station for six more months, starting February 25.

As per the latest schedule:

• The Secunderabad to Visakhapatnam service will halt at Eluru at 9:49 am for one minute.
• The Visakhapatnam to Secunderabad service will halt at 5:44 pm for one minute.

This extension aims to accommodate passengers traveling through this busy route, according to a press release issued on Saturday.

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