2 wagons of goods train catch fire in Maha, rail services hit

Mumbai, November 9

Two wagons of a goods train caught fire near Dahanu in Palghar district of Maharashtra late on Thursday night, as a result of which rail services on this route were affected, officials said.

After the incident, the Western Railway (WR) cancelled a couple of long-distance trains. Besides, at least 10 long-distance trains were halted and suburban train services between Virar and Dahanu Road stations were stopped till Friday morning, they said.

However, the services were restored by 9.10 am on Friday, they said.

According to a railway official, the incident took place late on Thursday night between Dahanu Road and Vangaon Railway Stations.

“The fire incident was reported at 10.35 pm. The 15th and 16th wagons of the goods train that was coming from Vadodara to JNPT in Mumbai caught fire. Due to the blaze and heat, the overhead wire equipment melted," a senior official said.

After being alerted about the incident, senior WR officials rushed to the site and work on overhead wire restoration was taken up.

The fire brigade, Railway Police Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) rushed to the spot, a police official said, adding that the blaze was doused around 2 am.

At least 10 long-distance trains were halted as a result of the incident, the police official added.

The WR cancelled some long-distance trains. Train 59024/59023 (Valsad-Mumbai Central-Valsad) and 12935 (Bandra T- Surat) are cancelled today, while train no.

22954 (Ahmedabad-Mumbai Central) is short terminated at Surat," the WR said in a tweet.

A WR official said, "The suburban services between Dahanu Road and Virar stations were stopped after the incident. However, the train services, including those on the suburban route, were restored by 9.10 am on Friday."   

A probe is underway to ascertain the exact cause of the fire, he said. PTI