A fire broke out in an empty suburban local train near Thane station around 1.45 a.m. on Wednesday, after the train had finished its services for the day.
Operated by the Central Railway (CR), the train was parked on a siding track near Platform 1 when the fire broke out. Thane Fire Brigade officials responded to the alert and rushed four fire engines and two water tankers to the station. The train was empty, and there were no casualties reported.
Firefighters took around 30 minutes to douse the blaze, which was extinguished by 2.15 a.m. The fire damaged one coach of a Siemens rake, but did not affect the motor coach. Railway officials said the fire has not affected the electrical components of the coach, and the damage is limited to seats and flooring.
While officials are still assessing the impact of the fire, the loss is estimated to be around ₹20,000. The train was parked on the siding track at 1.25 a.m, and electrical supply to it was cut off, since its pantograph was down. Railways officials said it seems unlikely that a short circuit may have been the cause.
“We have ordered an inquiry into the fire. A forensics team is examining the coach to determine the source of the fire,” S.K. Jain, CR Divisional Regional Manager, said. Railway staff and officials will conduct night checks on all trains parked on the siding track.
Similar incidents occurred in January 2016 and November 2015, when fires damaged trains parked at siding in Titwala and Badlapur respectively.
“The railways should disclose the findings of the inquiries that into the earlier fires, and whether the recommendations at the time have been implemented,” Subhash Gupta, president of Rail Yatri Parishad, said. “The only way to prevent such incidents is to build boundary walls and make sure that there is no public access to tracks,” he said.
