Fire sparks chaos on EMU in Chromepet, passengers evacuated
The incident occurred around 5:30 pm when the train, en route from Tambaram to Pallavaram, halted briefly at Chromepet station
Following the chaos, several passengers walk along the tracks toward bus stops on the GST Road, on Sunday
CHENNAI: Chaos ensued in a Chengalpattu-Chennai Beach suburban electric train on Sunday evening after sparks from faulty cables triggered smoke and a fire scare, prompting panic among passengers and an emergency evacuation near Chromepet railway station.
The incident occurred around 5:30 pm when the train, en route from Tambaram to Pallavaram, halted briefly at Chromepet station. As it resumed its journey, sparks erupted from cables connecting the fourth and fifth coaches, leading to dense smoke. Passengers on the platform immediately raised an alarm and the emergency siren went off in the loco pilot's cabin.
Responding swiftly, the loco pilot halted the train approximately 300 metres from Chromepet station. Panicked travellers, particularly those in the affected coaches, scrambled to the exit, with many jumping onto the tracks in fear. Chaos spread as confused passengers in other coaches saw the commotion and began evacuating hastily, without knowing what was happening.
Railway electrical engineers from Tambaram rushed to the site, disconnected the power supply and isolated the damaged cables. Preliminary investigations revealed a minor electrical fault in the coupling system as the cause.
Station fire was minor, no one hurt: Officials
Officials confirmed the flames were quickly contained and no injuries were reported.
"It was a minor technical issue. There was no major threat," a railway official said.
Following repairs, the train departed 32 minutes late, but many reluctant passengers refused to re-board, opting to wait for the next service. Several passengers had gathered on the tracks and suburban operations on the Tambaram-Chennai Beach route were disrupted for approximately 45 minutes because of the incident, causing delays during evening peak hours.
Recounting the scenes of panic, one eyewitness said, "People were screaming and jumping out. It felt like some major accident. Fortunately, there were no casualties or injuries."
Some of the passengers started walking along the tracks and got onto the GST road, walking towards bus stops and to avail other means of transport to reach their destination, even as railway staff kept guiding the evacuated passengers back to Chromepet station via the tracks, from where they continued their journeys on subsequent trains.
