Shillong: Four coaches of the Karmabhoomi Express caught fire near Sarai Banjara in the Patiala district of Punjab on Friday. The train was heading from Amritsar to New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal. Everyone on board escaped without injury.
Ambala Divisional Railway Manager Vinod Kumar Bhatia confirmed the incident. The loco pilot and guard stopped the train between Rajpura and Sadhu Garh railway stations after detecting automatic chain pulling and pressure drops. The crew isolated the burning carriages to stop the flames from jumping to the rest of the train. Strong winds pushed the fire across four coaches, but the crew prevented a disaster.
Bhatia explained the initial response to the scene. "The fire incident was reported between Rajpura and Sadhu Garh railway stations. When the loco pilot and guard noticed automatic chain pulling (ACP) and dropping of pressure, they quickly brought the train under control. After getting down, they noticed fire and smoke and immediately took precautions."
Officials regulated traffic on nearby tracks to keep other commuters safe. This fire mirrors a similar event from August in Bihar. That blaze hit the Samastipur-Saharsa Passenger train at Simri Bakhtiyarpur station. Firefighters in that Saharsa district case fought flames that started near the middle engine and spread to three cars, but all passengers escaped safely.
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