New Delhi:
As many as six empty coaches of two Rajdhani trains were gutted in a fire this afternoon at New Delhi railway station's maintenance yard, hitting train services and prompting authorities to order a high-level inquiry into the incident.
Empty coaches of the Bhubaneswar and Sealdah Rajdhani were parked in the washing line for maintenance and cleaning when the fire started at around 12.15 pm, the Northern Railways said.
Nobody was injured in the blaze, which was brought under control after Delhi Fire Services dispatched 20 fire engines to the spot, it added.
Train operations remain affected at the New Delhi railway station following the incident and several trains approaching it were halted midway as the power supply to the Over-Head Electrical line was withdrawn as a precautionary measure.
"The fire started in two coaches of Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani. The Sealdah Rajdhani was parked on the adjoining line and four coaches of this train also caught fire," Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Northern Railways, Neeraj Sharma, told reporters in New Delhi.
The departure timings of the Bhubaneswar and Sealdah Rajdhani are being rescheduled due to the incident, he said.
Two AC coaches of Bhubaneswar Rajdhani and four coaches, including the pantry car, of the Sealdah Rajdhani were affected in the fire. Railway staff on the spot had unhitched the affected coaches from the rest so that the fire did not spread, he added.
Meanwhile, a high-level inquiry has been ordered into the incident by the general manager of Northern Railways.
"A senior officials' committee has been formed by the GM to inquire into the incident. The damage is being assessed," Sharma said.
"Some trains approaching the station were halted because of this, but the operations have resumed," he said.
Police said that the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.