THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, January 11, 2015

 A train bogie catches fire at Trivandrum 

Railway Station

Trivandrum: A train bogie catches fire at Trivandrum Railway Station on Saturday afternoon. The bogie of Thiruvananthapuram-Guwahati express, scheduled for Sunday burst into flames. No casualties were reported as the bogie was already separated from the train. Police and fire foA three-member team set up by the Railways has begun an inquiry into the cause of the blaze in the Second Luggage Room (SLR) coach of the 12516 Guwahati-Thiruvananthapuram Express at the Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station on Saturday.The team comprising assistant divisional electrical engineer Jayaraj, coach depot engineer M. Vamshikant and assistant divisional security commissioner, Railway Protection Force (RPF), K. P. James on Sunday inspected the partially gutted SLR coach.The team conducted a detailed inspection of the SLR coach with the help of the supporting electrical and mechanical staff to find the cause of the fire that was spotted around 1.45 p.m. while the rake was in the yard for maintenance.The inquiry team later held a meeting and took statements of the witnesses.The team is awaiting the report of forensic experts of the State police who inspected the coach on Saturday. The forensic team had collected samples of the wire after the Kerala Fire and Rescue Services personnel reported that the fire might have broken out from the top portion and from the ceiling fan.The passenger portion of the disabled-friendly SLR that is on the rear of the rake was fully gutted and the seats were destroyed. Railway sources said the electrical and mechanical department personnel were assessing the damage caused to the coach.The Railways are also looking into the sabotage angle as there is an opening in the wall close to where the rake was parked in the yard. The officials will also look into why the incident was not picked up by the cameras installed for surveillance in the station.The Railway Police have registered a case. Railway sources said the inquiry would be completed in the next couple of days. The coach has been sealedrce reached the spot and did the needful. Rake was parked in the yard for maintenance; short circuit suspectedNo one was injured in the incident that gave anxious moments for the railway and security personnel and commuters alike. The fire was spotted in the coach by the mechanical staff around 1.45 p.m. when the rake was on “Road 13” on the Power House side, the second entry to the station. By that time, the blaze had engulfed the passenger side of the coach. Personnel of Railways and the Kerala Fire and Rescue Services doused the fire by around 2.15 p.m. and prevented it from spreading to the other 22 coaches of the rake.
Additional Divisional Manager P. Mahesh, RPF Divisional Security Commissioner Rajnish Kumar Tripathi, and senior officials supervised the fire-fighting operations. The passenger side of the disabled- friendly SLR, on the rear of the rake, was fully gutted. However, the guard side was not affected.
Railway sources told The Hindu that the fire had spread from the top of the SLR coach and the Kerala Fire and Rescue Services personnel suspect short circuit led to the incident .
The fire reportedly spread from near the ceiling fan in the coach. Railways were also looking into the sabotage angle, the sources said.
Forensic experts from the police inspected the coach that was sealed and moved to a secluded area for investigation.
Railways ordered an inquiry by a three-member team of officials from the security, electrical, and mechanical wings. “The inquiry will commence on Monday. The reason and the loss suffered will be known only after the inquiry,” Mr. Mahesh said.
The rake was to proceed as the 12515 Thiruvananthapuram- Guwahati Express on Sunday afternoon from the station. Railways will attach another SLR coach to the rake.