Maharashtra: Fire in parcel van of Mumbai-bound Shalimar Express train, passengers safe; services on route delayed

A fire broke out in a parcel van of the Mumbai-bound Shalimar Express at Nashik Road railway station in Maharashtra on Saturday morning, but nobody was injured in it, officials said.

The incident disrupted the services on this route of the Central Railway and caused delay for some trains, they said.

"The fire in the parcel van of the train was noticed around 8.43 am, soon after the train (18030) that runs between Shalimar (West Bengal) and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in Mumbai pulled into the Nashik Road station's platform number 3," a railway official said.

The local fire brigade was immediately alerted, but before the arrival of the firefighters, the railway staff tried to douse the blaze with fire extinguishers. The fire was brought under control around 9.30 am and completely put off after some time, he said.

Three fire tenders of the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) were pressed into service to douse the flames, another official said.

"As a precautionary measure, the electricity supply in the overhead wire was immediately shut, due to which the movement of other trains running in the section was affected," the official said.

The parcel van was stored only with luggage and nobody was travelling in it, he added.

"All passengers on board the train are safe," chief public relations officer of the Central Railway Shivaji Sutar said.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, he said, adding that the train proceeded on its journey to Mumbai at 11.57 am.

The Shalimar Express train was already running more than eight hours behind its schedule and the fire incident caused further delay, railway officials said.

Some other trains on the route also got delayed due to it, they said.