Train Runs 70km Without Loco Pilot in Jammu and Kashmir Today
In a bizarre and alarming incident, a goods train travelled for over 70 kilometres from Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district to a village in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district without its driver today (February 25, 2024), officials said. No casualty or damage to property has been reported, but an inquiry has been ordered into the incident that took place between 7:25 am and 9:00 am.
The 53-wagon train loaded with chip stones was on its way to Punjab from Jammu, the officials said. The 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, a spokesperson of the Northern Railway said, citing preliminary information.
Both drivers- loco pilot and assistant loco pilot- were not on board the freight train, the officials said. The train gained speed along the way, finally coming to a stop on a steep gradient near Unchi Bassi railway station in Punjab, they said.
Divisional Traffic Manager, Jammu, Prateek Srivastava told media that 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. He said the train came to a halt near Unchi Bassi due to steep gradient, after covering a distance of more than 70 km.
The officials said that the train was successfully halted with the assistance of sandbags. Whether the train had been secured properly at Kathua on the down gradient is a matter of investigation, the spokesperson said and added that an in-depth probe is underway.
Railway officials and staffers were put on alert along the route. Government Railway Police (Jalandhar) Sub-Inspector Ashok Kumar said upon receiving information about the runaway train all rail-road crossings on the Jalandhar-Pathankot section were secured.
The incident has raised serious questions about the safety and security of the railway operations in the region. It also highlights the need for better coordination and communication among the railway staff and authorities to prevent such mishaps in the future.
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