Rajdhani fire: German technology,prompt staff prevented disaster

The Ministry of Railways has ordered a statutory inquiry,but sources said the fire appears to have originated from one of the air-conditioners in the pantry car. “Prima facie,it appears to be a case of short-circuiting in an AC,” said a source.

The flames soon engulfed the pantry and burnt through the overhead power lines. With the electrical connection snapped,power to the locomotive was disrupted,which helped the loco-pilot to bring the train to a rapid halt. Even as the train was screeching to a stop,the fire spread to three adjoining AC-3 coaches,B-5,B-6 and B-7.

As soon as the train stopped,all passengers in these three coaches made their way out into the open,deserted area.

“Rajdhanis generally move at speeds close to 120-130 kmph. At that speed,the entire train could have been in flames had it not been brought to an immediate halt,” a railway official said.

“The LHB coaches,manufactured under technology-transfer from Germany,have automatic couplers to join two coaches. Unlike conventional coaches where one needs to go inside the coach and move through the vestibule to uncouple two coaches,these automatic couplers can be very easily uncoupled from the outside,” an official said.

Within minutes,the Railway staff had uncoupled the three passenger coaches from the pantry. The fire-retardant material used in the coaches ensured there were no toxic fumes and black smoke that could have hindered visibility,officials said.

Having uncoupled the damaged coaches and the pantry car,Railway authorities arranged for diesel locomotives to pull the remaining coaches to a safe distance.

Passengers of the three gutted coaches were accommodated in the other 12 coaches. The Railways arranged for food for the passengers. The train started on its remaining journey at 8.21 am,and traffic on the line was restored by 9.30 am.

Of the 2,450 long-distance trains in the Indian Railways network,only 272 have pantry cars. An advanced fire alarm system is currently undergoing pilot trials on the Bhubaneswar Rajdhani.

Rs 5,000 each on arrival in Delhi

The Railways handed over ex-gratia worth Rs 5,000 each to around 200 passengers as soon as they reached New Delhi,sources said. “Many passengers who had to de-board at night faced a lot of inconvenience… many lost luggage,” an official said. Some saw it as a move by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee’s troubleshooters to avoid any adverse publicity in the middle of the Bengal polls.