Bhubaneswar/Balangir: Passengers of the 12844 down Ahmedabad-Puri Express had a close shave on Saturday night as the train traveled for 15km without an engine before coming to a halt on reaching an uphill slope.
The mishap took place around 10.05pm on Saturday when the Puri-bound train had halted at Titilagarh railway station in Balangir for a change of engine.
When it looked like the engine had been attached to the bogies, the train began to roll without it in the reverse direction towards Kesinga, which is 413km from Puri.
The passengers had no idea as to what was happening before they came to know about the incident and panicked. Some of the distressed passengers even began to contact railway officials and the railway helpline.
“Everyone was scared and feared a major mishap as the bogies were moving on their own. It was the scariest moment of my life. It was a lucky escape as the train could have derailed in such a situation,” said Priyadarshini Panda, who was on board the Ahmedabad-Puri Express.
