Kapurthala: The engine of a Hoshiarpur-bound Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) train carrying 500 passengers caught fire on Jalandhar-Amritsar railway section of Punjab on Saturday but a disaster was averted as the driver stopped the locomotive as soon as he spotted the flames.
"The alert driver brought the train to a halt immediately after the fire broke out near village Jairampur and nearly 500 passengers disembarked from the train," a railway spokesman said.
No loss of life or injuries have been reported, he said adding rail traffic on the section remained disrupted for two hours following the incident.
The train was going from Amritsar to Hoshiarpur via Jalandhar, when the fire broke out.
Fire tenders from Kapurthala and Jagatjit Industries, Hamira, took over an hour to extinguish the flames, the spokesman said.
The engine was at the back of the train and was badly damaged, he said.
A railway engineer, who visited the spot, told media persons that short circuit was the cause of the fire.
PTI
