RUNAWAY ENGINE
STOPPED AT RATMALANA
Driverless engine goes past 9 railway stations and 5 level crossings
The Railway Department had begun an investigation as to how an unmanned railway engine ran for 15 kilometres along the coastal line from Maligawatte railway yard to Ratmalana on the wee hours of yesterday and was brought to a halt with great difficulty by a group of railway officials.
The Class Y Hunslet engine had made its way passing nine railway stations and five level crossings.
Railways General Manager B.A.P.Ariyaratne said on information about the railway engine he instructed the relevant officials to safely bring it to a halt and to prevent any possible danger.
He said the officials allowed the engine to proceed safely up to Ratmalana railway workshop along the right track by changing the points.
“We could have derailed it near the Maligawatte railway yard, but its consequences would have been serious. A derailment in the yard would have brought the entire train service to a stand still. We sent a group of technical officers and a driver by ambulance and two of them managed to board the moving engine and to stop it,” he said
He added that the driver and his assistant who had been in charge of the engine were interdicted with immediate effect pending formal investigations. However it is yet to be established whether the negligence of duty resulted in the incident or it was an act of sabotage.
A three member committee comprising a senior railway engineer was appointed to probe the incident. “It is an offence under the railway regulations to leave an unmanned engine on the run. Disciplinary action would be taken against the driver and his assistant on the report of the engineers,” the GMR said.