Smoke from Visakhapatnam to New Delhi bound Andhra Pradesh Express creates panic among passengers

Panic triggered among passengers when smoke was seen emitting from the AC coach of the Visakhapatnam to New Delhi bound Andhra Pradesh Express in the morning of 21 January, 2022. The incident took place in the Nekkonda Railway Station, of Warangal District, between 5:30 am to 6:00 am. The smoke was seen emanating from Coach S6 of the train. The railway authorities immediately sent the concerned staff to fix the snag.

The loco driver had stopped the Andhra Pradesh Express train near Nekkonda Railway Station after knowing about the smoke coming from the coach. A jam in the brakes is said to be the cause of the smoke. Though most of the passengers were sleeping at the time of the incident, a few passengers noticed the smoke coming out of the wheels of the S6 coach. A sudden panic gripped as the passengers at the Nekkonda Railway Station ran away from the train and the some passengers of the Visakhapatnam to New Delhi Andhra Pradesh Express jumped off the train. The Railway authorities later confirmed that there is nothing dangerous.

The Visakhapatnam – New Delhi bound Andhra Express train was halted for one hour for a safety inspection after the smoke emitted from one of the AC coaches. The Visakhapatnam to New Delhi Andhra Pradesh Express later resumed its journey. This matter will be investigated further and a detailed report will  be submitted on the cause of the fire from the wheels of the coach. The South Central authorities stated that the incident took place due to a technical slag. The smoke usually comes out from the wheels when the driver applies sudden brakes. There is a lubricant in the wheels to avoid friction, if the lubricant quantity is very high the smoke will come out after the brakes are applied.