A major train mishap was averted on Sunday (25th February) after an unattended driverless goods train travelled at 100kmph for more than 70 km, causing a scare in Punjab. Following the incident, the Railways has ordered a probe into the incident.
A video of the ‘Runaway Train’ is going viral on social media which shows the train passing by a station at a very high speed.
A Freight #Train which was at a halt at Kathua Station suddenly started running due to a slope towards Pathankot, without the driver. The train was stopped near Ucchi Bassi in Mukerian #Punjab. pic.twitter.com/Z1991Lxuma
— Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay07) February 25, 2024
According to reports, the 53-wagon goods train carrying construction materials for railways took a halt at Kathua station in Jammu and Kashmir for a crew change but its engine was allegedly left running when the driver and co-driver de-boarded it.
According to sources, the driver also failed to pull the hand brake before getting down. The unattended train with its engine on started to move before the next team of crew could board it. The train travelled towards Pathankot, picking up pace on the journey. It crossed about five stations at a speed of 100 km per hour before it was stopped in Uchi Bassi with the help of sandbags and woodblocks placed on Railway tracks. “The train was stopped after a Railway official placed wood blocks on the tracks to stop the train,” officials said.
VIDEO | A freight train was stopped in Hoshiarpur, Punjab by placing wood blocks on railway tracks after it started moving without the driver.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 25, 2024
As per available information, the train was coming from Kathua. After starting the train, the driver went somewhere but forgot to put a… pic.twitter.com/8LNUG1wWbD
The scary incident took place on Sunday between 7:25 am and 9 am when the runaway train moved due to the slope towards Pathankot, as per officials. The train was finally stopped on a steep slope close to Unchi Bassi railway station in Mukerian, Punjab.
Visuals show that the train was pulled by a WDG-3A class locomotive, a diesel-electric locomotive of the Indian railways. The dedicate freight locomotive generates 3100 hp power.
Government Railway Police (Jalandhar) Sub-Inspector Ashok Kumar said that upon receiving information about the runaway train all rail-road crossings on the Jalandhar-Pathankot section were secured. The officials added that the train was successfully halted with the assistance of sandbags.
Speaking with PTI, Divisional Traffic Manager, Jammu, Prateek Srivastava said, “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”. The Railway Department officials ensured that no other train was on its track from the opposite direction, thereby avoiding a major mishap. Consequently, no damages or injuries were reported in the scary incident.
The spokesperson stated that an investigation is ongoing to determine if the train was properly secured at Kathua on the downhill slope, and a thorough inquiry is in progress.
