A catastrophic incident was narrowly avoided today morning when a goods train, departing from Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir without a locomotive pilot onboard, was brought to a halt near Unchi Bassi in Punjab's Dasuya after traversing approximately 80 kilometers.
The startling episode, captured in a viral video circulating on social media, depicted the freight train hurtling along the railway track without a driver, propelled solely by a natural slope and reportedly reaching speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour. Emergency brakes were eventually deployed to bring the runaway train to a stop.
In response to the emergency, all railway crossings along the train's route were promptly closed for road traffic, with railway police deploying various mechanical methods to slow down the unmanned train, as confirmed by Railway Police Assistant Sub-Inspector Gurdev Singh.
Additionally, officials from the Ferozepur railway division were dispatched to investigate the alarming incident.
As per reports, the movement of the train was attributed to the natural downward slope leading towards Pathankot in Punjab.
The Divisional Traffic Manager of Jammu has confirmed that a thorough investigation into the matter has been launched.
Fortunately, the train came to a halt near Uchi Bassi without causing any reported injuries or casualties.