Passengers jump off Koyna Express at Karjat after heavy smoke from brake binding, local services affected

Heavy smoke from the Koyna Express at Karjat in Maharashtra caused panic among passengers with some jumping off the trainA video of the incident accessed by midday showed some passengers jumping out of a coach as heavy smoke was seen billowing from the trainThe incident led to minor disruption in Mumbai local train services sources saidldquoThe heavy smoke seen was due to the use of fire extinguishersrdquo said Dr Swapnil Nila Central Railwayrsquos Chief Public Relations Officer adding that the incident occurred in one coach the second from the rear It had repercussions on rail services with one mail express and two local trains being detained and delayedTrain detained at KarjatOfficials said the train was detained at Karjat in Maharashtra for around 10 minutes on Saturday evening after a brake binding issue was reported No injuries were reported in the incidentTrain brake binding is a technical malfunction in which the brake shoes pads or discs remain firmly pressed against the train wheels sometimes causing heavy smokeThe train was detained between 626 pm and 636 pm while railway staff attended to the issue officials saidTwo local trains held behindThe disruption also affected rail traffic behind the Koyna Express Two local trains were detained during the period as railway staff worked to resolve the problemThe issue was subsequently attended to and the Koyna Express resumed its journeyNo injuries reportedRailway authorities said there were no injuries in the incident The brief detention caused a temporary disruption to services with two local trains held behind the expressAccording to an official statement the Karjat Central Cabin received information from Palsdhari station that sparks were visible in a coach behind the locomotive and that the train needed to be checkedAs the train approached Karjat DYSM Chandan Kumar and Ajit Kumar along with pointsmen observed the train While the front portion appeared normal something unusual was noticed towards the rearDYSM Chandan Kumar immediately used the walkietalkie to instruct the Loco Pilot LP to stop the train for a detailed inspectionThe inspection revealed that the brake and spring rubber pads of coach SWR 044771 the second coach from the TM side had caught fireFire extinguishedRailway staff immediately used fire extinguishers to control the flames A total of four fire extinguishers were used to put out the fire the official statement saidThe smoke and flames caused panic among passengers with a situation resembling a stampede However station staff quickly intervened and brought the situation under controlAfter the fire was extinguished CampW staff and pointsmen thoroughly checked the affected coach and confirmed that it was safe for the train to continue its journeyTrain delayedThe 11030 Up train was brought to a halt on the middle line at Karjat at 626 pm After the inspection and necessary safety checks were completed the train departed at 636 pmDYSM Chandan Kumar and Ajit Kumar along with pointsmen Haribhau Diare Akshay Solanke Vishal Salokhe Mayur Khandizor and Nilesh Ghare played an important role in managing the situation said an officialTheir prompt response coordination and effective use of fire extinguishers helped prevent the fire from escalating and ensured that the passengers and train were made safe before departure the official added