Ghost train: Train locomotive running without driver
Railway officials said they didn’t realise the driver was not on board.
MIANWALI:
A locomotive train travelled from one tehsil to another, nearly 21 kilometres from Kundian to the Mianwali railway station without a driver on Tuesday.
According to assistant traffic officer (ATO) Naseer Ahmed Khan, a locomotive of the 5041 series for a special goods train was standing at the Kundian railway shed for repair when it suddenly began moving without a driver due to a fault in the electric system.
“At first we thought that there was a driver present and that the engine had been repaired and was on its way to the next stop.
Half an hour later we realised that the train was moving without any supervision and was loaded with cargo.
We immediately contacted railway officials at the Mianwali station to stall it and lock the tracks,” Khan said. Railway staff in Mianwali tried to board and stop the train along the route but the locomotive reached the Mianwali station after covering a 21km distance in an hour at a speed of 40 kilometres per hour.
The railway engine crossed four level crossings in Mianwali city, but fortunately reached its destination safely. “The train reached Minawali without incident and we have unloaded it,” said a railway official. Mianwali railway staff have put the engine on a dead-end line and stopped it for repairs.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 28th, 2011.
A locomotive train travelled from one tehsil to another, nearly 21 kilometres from Kundian to the Mianwali railway station without a driver on Tuesday.
According to assistant traffic officer (ATO) Naseer Ahmed Khan, a locomotive of the 5041 series for a special goods train was standing at the Kundian railway shed for repair when it suddenly began moving without a driver due to a fault in the electric system.
“At first we thought that there was a driver present and that the engine had been repaired and was on its way to the next stop.
Half an hour later we realised that the train was moving without any supervision and was loaded with cargo.
We immediately contacted railway officials at the Mianwali station to stall it and lock the tracks,” Khan said. Railway staff in Mianwali tried to board and stop the train along the route but the locomotive reached the Mianwali station after covering a 21km distance in an hour at a speed of 40 kilometres per hour.
The railway engine crossed four level crossings in Mianwali city, but fortunately reached its destination safely. “The train reached Minawali without incident and we have unloaded it,” said a railway official. Mianwali railway staff have put the engine on a dead-end line and stopped it for repairs.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 28th, 2011.