How an unattended goods train travelled 70 km from J-K to Punjab on its own

The 53-wagon train loaded with chip stones travelled from Jammu-Kashmir's Kathua to Punjab's Hoshiyarpur between 7.25 am and 9 am without any drivers

An enquiry was launched on Sunday after an unattended diesel locomotive travelled a distance of over 70 km from Jammu-Kashmir to Punjab earlier that day.

The incident had railway officials on their toes the entire time, creating massive scares in anticipation of any potential accident. However, no causality or damage was reported. The officials had secured all rail-road crossings on the Jalandhar-Pathankot section to avoid any mishap.

The 53-wagon train loaded with chip stones travelled from Jammu-Kashmir’s Kathua to Punjab’s Hoshiyarpur between 7.25 am and 9 am, the official said. Several videos of the train, numbered 14806R, running along the tracks were also captured by people and shared widely on social media.

How did the train start on its own?

The train had stopped at Kathua railway station in Jammu for a driver change. According to preliminary information, it appears it rolled down a slope gradient track on the Jammu-Jalandhar section, a spokesperson of the Northern Railway said.

At the time of the incident, the loco pilot and assistant loco pilot were not present in the train. The train travelled for more than 70 km before halting at Unchi Bassi due to steep gradient. Sandbags were also used to bring a halt to the transport.

Drivers went to have tea at Kathua station

Notably, a report by the Hindustan Times quoted an anonymous official at the Kathua station, who said the drivers had left the engine to have tea. Another person said the incident could have been the result of negligence during duty change.

Three passenger trains faced delay due to the incident.

"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 said.

The spokesperson added that a thorough investigation in the matter is underway and it is to be investigated if the train was correctly secured at Kathua on the down gradient.

(With agency inputs)