Smoke billowing from under an AC coach of the Howrah-Mysore Express on Saturday morning led to panic among passengers, railway officials said. However, no casualty was reported.
The incident was reported when the train was close to Tuni in Andhra Pradesh's East Godavari district. After inspection, authorities found a conveyor belt had caught fire due to overheating.
In a separate incident, a fire scare was reported in the Ajmer-Delhi Shatabdi Express on Friday. No death or casualties have been reported. The incident occurred around 9.30 pm between Alwar and Rewadi in coach C-11, according to a passenger on board the train.
A North Western Railway spokesperson denied any fire on the Ajmer-Delhi Shatabdi Express. He said "burning smell due to the brake lock" might have created panic among passengers.
Last week, a similar incident was reported on the Delhi-Lucknow Shatabdi Express.
Sharda Bhattacharya, 49 and a passenger on board the Ajmer-Delhi Shatabdi Express, has written to the North Western Railway, questioning the manner in which Friday's incident was handled. In her letter, she complains the railway staff on board took no cognisance of the smoke, despite several complaints.
"A burning stench and smoke entered the coach. Soon, the coach was filled with dense smoke," Bhattacharya wrote. She added the railway staff made no attempt to stop the train; passengers had to do so.
On condition of anonymity, another passenger said the fire extinguishers pressed into service were faulty.
In the case of Friday's and last week's incidents, the railways hasn't ordered safety inquiries.
JP Batra, former chairman, Railway Board, said, "I am not aware of any laboratory test conducted so far to find out whether brake-locking can cause fire. No case of brake-locking leading to fire has been reported in the last 20 years. However, if the passengers are complaining of smoke, it calls for an inquiry by the Commissioner of Safety. It is possible because of sparks from the brake jam, something may have caught fire."
In December 2013, a fire in the Nanded-Bangalore Express had led to the death of 26 people. This month, a fire in the Mumbai-Dehradun Express had claimed nine lives.
