Goods train catches fire near Bardoli

SURAT: Railway traffic on the Surat-Bhusawal route was disrupted for at least four hours after fire broke out in three wagons of a goods train carrying coal near Bardoli on Friday.
Railway authorities said that the staff at the Bardoli railway station spotted smoke coming out from one of the wagons when the train was passing from the station. The driver was asked to return to the station to douse the fire.Passengers at the station were asked to stay away and fire tenders from Bardoli town were called in.
During this time, the fire spread to two other wagons with heavy smoke engulfing the railway station. The overhead electric lines were immediately shut and that the train traffic on both the up and down section of the Surat-Bhusawal route was stopped. Sources said that the fire department is yet to ascertain the exact cause of fire.
SK Yadav, area railway officer (ARO) told TOI, “There was heavy smoke in the coal-laden wagons. Had there been a delay in dousing the fire, there could have been a big loss of the coal consignment as well as the railway property. It took about two hours to douse the fire. Later, the Surat-Bhusawal route was opened up for the up and down traffic.”
Yadav added, “Just a couple of trains were running late by two to three hours due to the incident near Bardoli. Later, the train was shifted on the loop line to clear the traffic.”