GWALIOR/VIJAYAWADA: Passengers aboard New Delhi-Visakhapatnam AP Express had a miraculous escape on Monday with alert passengers bringing the train to a halt after two compartments of the train went up in flames near Birlanagar station near Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. All the passengers, including 37 deputy collectors who were returning from training, escaped unhurt.
According to railway officials, passengers noticed smoke in a coach and pulled the emergency chain to bring the running train to a halt. Later, fire tenders put out the blaze. “Two coaches — B6 and B7 — of train No. 22416 (New Delhi - Visakhapatnam), a fully air-conditioned express, caught fire at around 11:45 am,’’ North Central Railway’s (NCR) Chief Public Relations Officer Gaurav Krishna Bansal said.
The fire damaged the B-6 and B-7 coaches, Gwalior District Superintendent of Police Navneet Bhasin said. The fire broke out in the B7 coach and spread to B-6 coach, North Central Railway’s Jhansi Division Public Relations Officer Manoj Singh said.
The damaged coaches were later detached and the train, with the remaining 12 AC coaches, left for its onward journey at 3.55 pm. Another two AC coaches were attached to the train at the Itarsi railway junction. To a query, Manoj Singh said the train was not running fast after it left the Birlanagar station while heading to its next destination - the Gwalior station. Asked if a short-circuit led to the fire, he said an inquiry would reveal the exact cause of the blaze. The North Central Railway’s Chief Safety Officer S K Kashyap said that a team headed by him would inquire into the mishap and submit a report in three days. Kashyap, who would reach Gwalior on Tuesday morning, did not ruled out sabotage behind the fire.
The train was scheduled to reach Vijayawada station by Tuesday afternoon. Due to the delay, it may reach by evening, Vijayawada Station Master Ch Suresh said.
SCR, ECR set up help centres
Alerted over the AP Express fire accident near Gwalior, the South Central Railway (SCR) has set up helpline centres in Vijayawada as well as Anakapalle, Samalkota, Rajahmundry, Tadepalligudem and Eluru. Speaking to TNIE, Vijayawada Station Master Ch Suresh said eight passengers are scheduled to alight in Vijayawada. No inquiries were made by the passengers and their relatives to the helpline setup in Vijayawada. The ECR also set up a helpline centre in Visakhapatnam.
