Fire in Gorakhpur-bound train near Mumbai; passengers safe

Mumbai: A coach of the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Gorakhpur Express caught fire near its wheels due to brake binding in Maharashtra's Thane district neighbouring Mumbai on Monday morning, railway officials said.

The blaze was doused immediately, an official said, adding that all passengers were safe.

The Gorakhpur-bound train was detained near Thakurli station (in Thane district) due to brake binding of S-8 coach at around 6 30 am, a Central Railway (CR) spokesperson said.

In the brake binding process, train brakes get jammed with wheels. It emits heavy smoke, sometimes leading to a fire due to excess heat.

Thakurli is located around 35 km from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) in Mumbai.

Some passengers panicked after seeing heavy smoke emanating from the wheels and immediately alerted the railway staff on onboard the train, according to sources.

The CR spokesperson said it was a very small blaze and was immediately doused using two fire extinguishers.

The train left for its onward journey in 20 minutes, he said.

Earlier, the train had departed 26 minutes late from the originating station LTT at 5 49 am, as per sources.