To solve the problem of a conventional propulsion controller for rolling stock that it can not detect slow idling and skid because there is necessity to set a large value as a detection level of acceleration for determining the idling and skid large so as to avoid misdetection, since it detects the idling skid, using only the acceleration of wheels calculated from its velocity.

The method and controller solve the above problem. They detect idling or skid by a divergence from an actual propulsion distance, which is the distance of a vehicle having advanced actually, surpassing a preset value, based on the estimated propulsion distance of the vehicle in the case where idling/skid does not occur and the positional information from a GPS (Global Positioning System) by integrating the velocity of a motor. Since the value of the divergence enlarges according to the duration of the idling or skid, they can detect it even in case that the idling or skid occurs slowly.