The Purnagiri Jan Shatabdi, heading towards Tanakpur in Uttarakhand, ran backwards on Wednesday after it ran over cattle between the Khatima-Tanakpur section, creating a bit of confusion among the passengers onboard. According to the North Eastern Railways, the train did not derail and all passengers were transported safely to Tanakpur.
After running in the backward fashion for over 35 kilmometres, the train was finally stopped in Uttarakhand’s Khatima, around 33o kilometres from Delhi. The Purnagiri Janshatabdi Express was on its way to Uttarakhand’s Tanakpur from Delhi when the driver had to press brakes to avoid collision with an animal that had strayed on to the railway tracks. After this incident, the driver lost control of the locomotive and the entire train started moving backwards. The visuals accompanying media reports show the train pass through a station at a good speed and it showed the train pulling the locomotive backwards. Once the train was finally able to stop, the passengers were sent to Tanakpur by bus. The North Eastern Railway reportedly said that no passengers were hurt and the Loco Pilot and guard have been suspended pending investigation into the incident.
