Flames swept through four coaches of the Amritsar-New Jalpaiguri Karmabhumi Express on Thursday near Sarai Banjara in Punjab's Patiala district, forcing passengers to bolt from suffocating smoke as the moving train ground to an emergency halt.
No one died. Not a single injury was reported.
Train No. 12508 was hauling hundreds of passengers through the Rajpura belt under the Ambala railway division when the fire erupted across four adjoining carriages. Panic rippled through the compartments. Thick grey smoke blinded travelers as flames licked the exterior panels. But disaster paused on the tracks—an automated onboard safety mechanism engaged, bleeding air pressure from the train lines and bringing the rake to a dead stop. Passengers clambered out of vestibules and dropped onto the ballast stones to safety.
Emergency fire crews and rescue teams rushed to the site, dousing the burning coaches before flames could leap to adjacent sections of the rake.
"Due to the timely functioning of the safety system, the train stopped, and the fire is being brought under control," Northern Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay said. "All senior officials have reached the spot."
Upadhyay confirmed that emergency personnel recorded no casualties or physical injuries during the evacuation.
Senior mechanical engineers and safety inspectors from the Ambala rail division have cordoned off the four charred coaches at Sarai Banjara station to pinpoint what ignited the blaze, with railway authorities scheduled to complete a technical inspection before clearing the line.