India: Train Rolls 9 Miles With No Driver

Odisha, India —(Map)

On Saturday night, a train in India rolled backward for 9 miles without an engine or a driver. The train was carrying about 1,000 people. Train company workers were able to stop the train by putting rocks on the tracks. No one was hurt.

Around 10 pm Saturday night, workers for the East Coast Railway unhooked the engine from a long train. This was normal. The engine is usually moved to the back of the train at Titlagarh station.

The workers were supposed to put the brakes on the train before they unhooked the engine. But either the workers forgot to put the brakes on, or they did not put them on the right way. The train, which was on a small hill, began to roll backward.

The train track runs downward from Titlagarh for a long way. The 22 car train rolled without an engine or a driver for about nine miles until the train tracks began to go up again. People inside the train tried to stop it, but they could not. “We pulled the chain,” said Sanjay Padiwal, “but the train did not stop.” The train company cleared the tracks to make sure the runaway train would not hit any other trains, cars, or people.

Finally, at Kesinga, where the train tracks start to go uphill again, the train slowed down. Railway workers were then able to put rocks on the tracks to keep the train from rolling any more. They did not try this when the train was going downhill because it might have knocked the train off the tracks.

Seven people who were working on the train have been suspended. That means they can’t work until the train company learns more about who caused the problem. The train company is also reminding its workers about how to make sure the trains stay safe.

Train safety is very important in India because travel by train is common there. India has about 9,000 trains. Over 22 million people ride trains every day in India. Even Titlagarh Station, where the problem started, is used by about 84,000 riders every day.