New Delhi: Six empty carriages of two Rajdhani trains were destroyed in a fire on Tuesday afternoon at maintenance yard near New Delhi railway station, hitting train services.
The rakes of the Bhubaneswar and the Sealdah Rajdhani were parked in the washing line for maintenance and cleaning when the fire started at around 12.15pm, the Northern Railways (NR) said.
Nobody was injured in the blaze, which was brought under control after Delhi Fire Services dispatched 20 fire tenders to the spot, the NR added.
Train operations at New Delhi railway station were affected following the incident and several trains approaching it were halted midway as the power supply to the Over-Head Electrical line was withdrawn as a precautionary measure.
“The fire started in two coaches of Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani. The Sealdah Rajdhani was parked on the adjoining line and four coaches of this train also caught fire,” Chief Public Relations Officer of Northern Railways, Neeraj Sharma said.
The departure timings of the Bhubaneswar and Sealdah Rajdhani are being rescheduled, he said.
Two AC carriagesof Bhubaneswar Rajdhani and four coaches, including the pantry car, of the Sealdah Rajdhani were affected in the fire. Railway staff on the spot had unhitched the affected coaches from the rest so that the fire did not spread, he added.
Meanwhile, a high-level inquiry has been ordered into the incident by the general manager of NR.
“A senior officials’ committee has been formed by the GM to inquire into the incident. The damage is being assessed,” Sharma said.
“Some trains approaching the station were halted because of this, but the operations have resumed,” he said.
Police said that the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
