Leipzig, Germany - A railcar proceeded nearly 40 kilometres through central Germany with nobody on board, railway company Deutsche Bahn said Tuesday in Leipzig.

The self-propelling passenger unit moved away from a station at 7 am Monday (0600 GMT) in the town of Merseburg with no driver, passed a series of level crossings over roads, and did not stop until it had nearly reached the town of Querfurt, nearly 40 kilometres away. (dpa)