Credit: Reuters photo
Davangere: A fire broke out in a wheel of the Vande Bharat Express, which was heading towards Bengaluru from Dharwad near Davangere around 3:40pm on Friday, however due to the presence of mind of the loco pilot a possible accident was averted.
The incident occurred when the train was running between Harihar and Davangere. The railway staff, who were immediately alerted, stopped the moving train and doused the fire. There were 502 passengers on board the train.
The fire was ignited due to ‘hot axle’ of a carriage of the C-4 coach of the Vande Bharat train. A message was sent to the engine about the smoke that immediately engulfed it. The train, which was running at a speed of approximately 100 kmph, was stopped and the fire was doused. Railway department sources said that the train has been brought up to Davangere station after fixing the technical problem.
The technical team that inspected the train has canceled the service. Passengers were sent in Janshatabdi and Jodhpur Express trains that were plying on the same route. The train has then been sent to the workshop in Harihar.
Confirming the incident, South Western Railway Public Relations Officer Girish said,it is true that a spark of fire was seen in the wheel of the train. But all the passengers were safe. The ticket price will be refunded to the passengers due to the disruption in their journey.