Driverless train engine travels 13 kms before being chased on a bike and stopped

In what could have resulted in a major collision, an electric train engine travelled for about 13 kms without a driver and was stopped only after railway staff chased it on a bike, boarded it and applied brakes. The incident took place on Wednesday in Maharashtra.

The engine of the Chennai-Mumbai train was to be changed from electric to diesel at Wadi station. The electric engine was detached from the train so that a diesel engine could be joined as the route from Wadi to Solapur in Maharashtra is not electrified, reported PTI. As the diesel engine was being attached, the electric engine started moving on its own after the loco pilot alighted from it.

The reason for this is yet to be known. This left the engine driver in shock and he immediately alerted the Wadi station authorities so that the tracks at the next stations could be cleared. The railway staff then chased the engine on a motorcycle, finally caught up with it after 13 kms, managed to board it and finally stop the engine near Nalwar.