Watch: Train rolls without engine for 15 km in Odisha, safety drive ordered

Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani, who also heads all things related to safety in Indian Railways, called it an “isolated incident” and ordered strict action.

“The incident of rolling down of Ahmedabad-Puri Express at Titlagath is an isolated incident of staff negligence that is sincerely regretted by the railways,” he said in a statement on Sunday.

Chief safety officers of Indian Railways have also been instructed to counsel railway personnel involved in coupling and uncoupling of engines and coaches. General managers have been asked to submit detailed reports.

The train pulled into Titlagarh junction at 9.35 pm on Saturday and waited for a routine change of engine. The engine was uncoupled from the 22 coaches, and the train was to be attached to another engine that would take it back in the reverse direction for the next stop, Balangir. As per operating procedure, railways officials are supposed to apply the train’s skid brakes to secure the coaches.

#WATCH Coaches of Ahmedabad-Puri express rolling down towards Kesinga side near Titlagarh because skid-brakes were not applied #Odisha (07.04.18) pic.twitter.com/bS5LEiNuUR

— ANI (@ANI) April 8, 2018

However, sources said, the railways staff either forgot to apply the brakes or did not apply them correctly. At 10.05 pm, the coaches started rolling on the rails, following the downward gradient. A video pf the incident, clicked on mobile phone and shared multiple times on social media, showed people by the tracks shouting as the train gathered speed and went past the station.

The train reportedly travelled nearly 15 km without an engine or a driver. It came to a stop when it reached an upward incline at Kesinga in Kalahandi.

Additional divisional railway manager of Sambalpur, L V S S Patrudeo, said, “We have never seen such a peculiar incident. There were certain lapses.”

Those suspended are two engine drivers, three carriage repairing staff and two operating department employees, a spokesperson for ECR. A source in EcoR said that besides danger to passengers, level crossings had to be immediately closed to allow this unscheduled passage. “The train was allowed to roll down the gradient up to Kesinga. Stopping the train could have led it off the rails,” he said.

“First, we felt tremors from the wheels as the train started inching forward,” said Priyadarshini Panda, who was travelling with her children. “We panicked when we heard shouts that the train did not have an engine.”

Another passenger, Sanjay Padiwal, said, “We called the railway helpline (from the train) but were directed from one number to another. We pulled the chain, but the train did not stop.”

“We have also ordered a one-month drive over the entire network for sensitising the staff regarding precautions to be taken to prevent such incidents,” Lohani said.