Driver stops to drink chai, train departs, travels 100km from Jammu to Punjab with no one driving.
The train surpassed the speed of the Vande Bharat and stopped using blocks on the track.
Jammu/Chandigarh: In an incident reminiscent of the Hollywood thriller "Unstoppable," a goods train carrying 53 wagons traveled unmanned at a speed of 90 km/h for approximately 80 km from Jammu’s Kathua to Punjab’s Hoshiarpur. The train initially began rolling down a slope after the drivers reportedly stopped for a tea break, leaving the engine running.
In a recent incident, a train in Punjab loaded with stone chips faced a steep incline in the tracks, which stopped it and prevented a potential disaster. The train had rolled downhill towards Pathankot after its drivers took a tea break at Kathua station, unintentionally leaving the engine running. Efforts to stop the train initially proved futile, causing it to cover around 80km before being stopped by the steep gradient in Unchi Bassi, Punjab. An official was able to hop onto the locomotive and pull the emergency brakes when it slowed down at Uchhi Bassi, averting tragedy.
After the incident, six rail officials, including the drivers, were suspended, and an inquiry was ordered. The suspended officials include the station superintendent, pointsman, and another official at Kathua station. The Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) emphasized that no casualties or damage were reported, and an investigation into the cause of the incident will be conducted, starting Monday.
In a previous incident in December 2014, four empty coaches of the Shatabdi Express derailed as a result of not having wooden wedges placed under the wheels while parked in a yard. Similar incidents occurred in May 2010 and June 2015, involving driverless trains due to the absence of wooden wedges.
It is important to place wooden wedges under the wheels of a stationary train to prevent such incidents from occurring.
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