The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Jammu and Kashmir): An incident occurred on Sunday when a diesel locomotive-hauled freight train journeyed over 70 kilometers without its drivers, from Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua to a village in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district. Remarkably, there were no reported casualties or property damage.
Officials reported that the incident, which happened between 7:25 am and 9:00 am, is now under investigation. The 53-wagon train, filled with chip stones, had been en route to Punjab from Jammu. It had made a stop at the Kathua railway station in Jammu for the drivers to be changed. However, the train began moving down a slope on the Jammu-Jalandhar section, according to preliminary information provided by a Northern Railway spokesperson.
The train, which had neither its loco pilot nor the assistant loco pilot on board, accelerated as it moved along, eventually coming to a stop near the Unchi Bassi railway station in Punjab due to a steep gradient. Prateek Srivastava, Jammu divisional traffic manager, informed PTI that an inquiry is underway to ascertain the exact cause of this incident. Initially, it appears that the train started moving on its own down the slope towards Punjab.
Srivastava further explained that the train was brought to a halt near Unchi Bassi after covering a distance of more than 70 kilometers, thanks to the use of sandbags. The investigation will also look into whether the train had been properly secured at Kathua on the downward slope.
Meanwhile, railway officials and staff were quickly alerted along the route to manage the situation. Ashok Kumar, a sub-inspector with the Government Railway Police in Jalandhar, stated that upon learning of the runaway train, measures were taken to secure all rail-road crossings on the Jalandhar-Pathankot section. This proactive step was vital in ensuring no further complications arose from the unusual occurrence.