In a scarest situtation on Sunday, a freight train pulled by a diesel locomotive traveled over 70 kilometers from Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir to a village in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district without its drivers, officials reported. Fortunately, there were no casualties or property damage. The incident occurred between 7:25 am and 9 am, prompting an immediate inquiry.

Loaded with chip stones, the 53-wagon train was en route from Jammu to Punjab when it stopped at Kathua railway station for a driver change. However, it began moving along the slope gradient track toward Jalandhar without its loco pilot and assistant loco pilot.

The train accelerated along the journey and finally came to a stop on a steep gradient near Unchi Bassi railway station in Punjab. The Divisional Traffic Manager, Jammu, Prateek Srivastava, stated that an inquiry is underway to determine the exact cause, suggesting that the train might not have been properly secured at Kathua.

Also Read

Railway officials and staff were alerted along the route, and Government Railway Police in Jalandhar secured all rail-road crossings on the Jalandhar-Pathankot section upon receiving information about the runaway train.