Driverless Train Travels 84 Km in J&K

India has seen its fair share of train accidents from derailments to collisions. But there was a most bizarre occurrence on the morning of Sunday, February 25, 2024 when a Vande Bharat Express, sans its engine driver, began moving and gathering uncontrolled speed. The baffling incident took place during a routine crew change and break for tea at the Kathua Railway Station. According to preliminary reports, the motorman of the goods train accidentally left the engine running.

Due to the fact that he had stalled the train on a gradient, it went mobile and wound up covering a distance of as much as 84 km. That’s not all: the out-of-control train actually worked up a speed of 78 km. Miraculously, the locomotive was brought to a halt near Pathankot - almost an hour later without incident or injury. Some reports claim that the train surpassed the 100 km/hour mark, but these have not been substantiated. Railway authorities have launched an inquiry into the incident.

India is no stranger to peril on the tracks. Only last October, two trains crashed into each other in the Vizianagaram district of India’s southern state of Andhra Pradesh, killing 14 persons and injury over 50. The mishap occurred when one train stopped cold due to a break in an overhead cable, while another oncoming train headed straight into it. 

According to India’s National Crime Records Bureau, as of 2021, nearly 16,000 people had lost their lives in around 18,000 railway accidents. There have also been several instances of trains running over live stock. Be careful people: Indian trains can sweep you off your feet... and not in a good way!

Watch the J&K out-of-control train here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3xsT59o70A/?igsh=MTVuNDI3Y3Z0c3h1Nw==