Runaway train travelled 43 miles without a driver before finally being stopped
Rail authorities said the train was able to pass through five stations before it was stopped.
A driverless runaway train steamed through five stations at more than 60mph before it was stopped by quick-thinking workers, officials have said.
Indian authorities have said a potential catastrophe was averted after a driverless goods train travelled more than 43 miles from Punjab to Jammu on Sunday, February 25.
The vehicle was carrying 53 wagons to the northwestern city and had stopped in Kathua to change crew when the driver and his assistant left the train without applying the handbrake.
What followed was a high-speed 43-mile chase through the country on a route that serves more than 13 million people daily. Workers were only able to stop the train and avert a significant accident after applying a creative solution.
Videos circulated on social media showed the train as it roared through stations in India, with officials saying the vehicle had reached speeds of up to 70km (43.4 miles).
The dangerously out-of-control train started rolling down a sloped track on February 25 at approximately 7.25am local time (1.55am GMT), carrying the more than four dozen carriages - which were reportedly full of stone chips.
BBC News Kochi reported that the vehicle gathered speed over more than two hours, passing five stops and requiring local officials to close crossings scattered across its route.
Railway officials couldn't stop the train until around 9am (3.30am GMT), thanks to some carefully placed wooden blocks.
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Speaking to the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency, they said the train ground to a halt "after a railway official placed wood blocks on the tracks to stop the train".
The train halted when it reached the village of Unchi Bassi in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district.
New Delhi Television (NDTV) cited officials reporting that "no casualty" was reported following the incident.
Authorities have since launched an investigation to determine how it happened and avoid future incidents.
India's rail network is operated by Indian Railways, a state monopoly, and is the fourth largest in the world.
The network transports roughly 13 million people daily on more than 40,000 miles (64,000km) of tracks and moves 1.5 billion tonnes of freight annually.