A 53-wagon loaded diesel goods train travelled for around 80 kilometer from Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir to a village in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district without a driver on Sunday. The freight train, reportedly running without a driver and at 100 kilometres per hour (kmph), was captured in a video that went viral on social media. It was stopped using emergency brakes, averting a major train accident.
According to the Railways, no casualty or damage to property has been reported and an inquiry has been ordered into the incident that took place between 7.25 am and 9 am on February 25.
The freight train was loaded with chip stones and was on its way to Punjab from Jammu.
Citing preliminary information, a spokesperson of the Northern Railway said that the goods train had stopped at the Kathua railway station in Jammu for a driver change and it seems that it began to roll down a slope gradient track on the Jammu-Jalandhar section.
Both drivers — loco pilot and assistant loco pilot — were not on board the freight train, a PTI report cited officials. The train gained speed along the way, finally coming to a stop on a steep gradient near Unchi Bassi railway station in Punjab, it added.
“An inquiry has been initiated to know the exact cause of the incident. Prima facie, it seems that the train started rolling down the slope gradient towards Punjab without the driver and his assistant,” Divisional Traffic Manager, Jammu, Prateek Srivastava was quoted by PTI.
The train came to a halt near Unchi Bassi due to steep gradient, after covering a distance of more than 70 km, he also said, as per the report.
All rail-road crossings on the Jalandhar-Pathankot route were immediately closed to avoid any accident.
According to Hindustan Times report citing Railway police ASI Gurdev Singh, all railway crossings along the route were promptly shut down for road traffic, and various mechanical methods were deployed to decelerate the train.
The officials from the Ferozepur railway division were en route to conduct an investigation into the incident, he added.
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Published: 25 Feb 2024, 04:19 PM IST