Narrow escape for Toofan Mail passengers

The fire engulfed the five coaches — four three-tier and one first class — of the Toofan Mail when it was passing between Dharauli and Dildarnagar railway stations under Mughalsarai Division in Uttar Pradesh. The passengers managed to vacate the coaches before they were completely gutted. The driver of the train applied emergency brakes when a passing goods train alerted him about the fire.

‘‘Had it not been noticed in time, the consequences could have been grave as most of the passengers were sleeping at the time when the fire broke out,’’ said an official.

According to sources, pinpointing the cause of fire in a train was not always easy as the railway authorities had realised in the case of Frontier Mail fire near Ferozepur in 2003.

After a thorough probe by the Commissioner Railway Safety — including setting another coach on fire to simulate the conditions of the accident — the inquiry had remained inconclusive. But it made the railways issue instructions banning inflammable material on train.

Reiterating the instructions, Laloo said that he had also ordered General Managers of all railway zones to introduce a system of ‘‘thorough technical and mechanical checks of trains moving in their respective areas at important operational halts to take measures to prevent incidents of fire.’’

The affected five coaches — 8th to 12th from the engine — were segregated and the train allowed on its onward journey, but only after clearance from Railway Board in the Capital.

Traffic on the route was disrupted and Brahmputra Mail and Varanasi-Sealdah Express have been diverted via Gaya-Patna sections.

‘‘It is not possible to detain the train on the section for too long as this is one of the busiest sections of the railways with heavy goods traffic too,’’ officials added.

The charred coaches were removed from the main line and kept for investigations.