Odisha: Train without engine rolls back 10 km

Twenty-two coaches of a train rolled backward for about 10 km when its engine was detached at a station in Odisha on Friday night.

The Ahmedabad-Puri Express, which started sliding back around 9:35 pm from Titlagarh station, was stopped by placing stones on the tracks half an hour later at Kesinga station.

No passengers were injured during the 20 km/h free roll, although it caused a scare among them.

The mishap occurred due to non-application of skid-brakes on the wheels of the coaches when the engine was detached at Titlagarh station, East Coast Railway (ECR) officials said.

“When the engine is detached to be attached at the other end, the coaches should be secured with skids at the wheels. In this case, it appears that the skids have either not been placed or were placed improperly. The facts of the case will be known after a detailed enquiry,” said JP Mishra, ECR PRO.

The Puri-bound train had arrived at Titlagarh junction in Bolangir district of Odisha at 9.35 pm on Friday night after travelling 1,460 km from Ahmedabad city on Thursday evening.

From Titlagarh, the train was supposed to travel northwards to Puri via Balangir station, but moved southwards to Kesinga station of Kalahandi, causing panic among passengers.

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