Passengers of the Ahmedabad-Puri Express had a narrow escape tonight when the coaches of the train travelled a few kilometres without the engine, which was detached for reversal at the Titlagarh station in Odisha, due to the non-application of the skid brakes, a railway official said.
"All passengers are safe and no one was hurt when the coaches moved towards Kesinga (under Sambalpur railway division) after the engine was detached to be attached at the other end of the train," an East Coast Railway spokesperson here said.
According to railway sources, the coaches started moving around 10 pm and had covered a distance of 10 kms without the engine before they were brought to a halt.
The coaches were stopped by alert staff by putting stones and bringing the train to a halt, the railway spokesperson said, adding the section from Titlagarh towards Kesinga has a downward slope.
The railway staff who failed to follow the engine shunting procedure properly have been suspended, the spokesperson said.
Divisional Railway Manager, Sambalpur, Jaideep Gupta, has ordered a senior official-level inquiry into the incident.
Soon after the incident, an engine was sent from Titlagarh to ferry the coaches, the spokesperson said.
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