Kalka-Shimla train catches fire near Solan

Tribune News Service

Solan, January 8

A sudden fire in the engine of Himalayan Queen Express on the Kalka-Shimla route  near Patta-ka-Mor created panic among the staff as well as passengers  on board  around 2:15 pm. No   loss of life was, however, reported. 

 According to the rail staff, the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained though some technical fault is being stated to be the immediate cause. Though two fire tenders were requisitioned from Solan, the rail staff and locals managed to extinguish it before their arrival.

The incident has exposed lack of maintenance of the engine which has been damaged in the incident. The train, which was jampacked with tourists, was halted as soon as the fire erupted. A plume of smoke could be seen rising from the engine. A number of  panic-stricken passengers  alighted from the train though the fire was prevented from spreading further.  Some passengers walked up to Kumarhatti and resumed their onwards journey by road.  The train  left Kalka  at 12:10 pm. 

The damaged engine was pulled away from Himalayan Queen and taken to Barog around 3:30 pm   while   engine of a holiday special train,  coming from Kalka, was  attached to the train for its journey to Shimla. 

According to Hari Mohan, Senior DCM, Ambala, Northern Railways, the engine had developed a technical snag due to burning of electrical wires in the engine room following which the train was halted between Dharampur and Kumarhatti.

The control room was immediately informed and with the help of fire-fighting equipment, the fire was extinguished within 20 minutes by the loco pilot, guard and ticket examiner of the train. Due to prompt action by the control office, the engine of another train pulled the stranded one to Kumarhatti, restoring traffic on this section at 3:30 pm.

Following the incident, trains on the route had been delayed. In order to provide connecting trains to the Delhi-bound passengers, Kalka-Delhi Serai Rohilla Himalayan Queen and Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi Express were held back.

An award to the staff, which exhibited alertness in handling the situation, has been announced by the authorities.