Fire in coach of Rangiya-Silchar Express at Langting; passengers safe

A fire broke out near a rear wheel of the Rangiya-Silchar Express at Langting railway station in Assam's Dima Hasao district on Sunday, but train staff put it out quickly and all passengers are safe, according to preliminary reports.

The blaze was seen in the wheel area of coach S5 of Train No. 15611, which runs from Rangiya in Kamrup district to Silchar in the Barak Valley. It was linked to a hot axle that was detected when the train was at Langting, India Today NE reported.

The crew used fire extinguishers on board to put out the flames before they could spread. No injuries or casualties were reported. The cause of the overheating has not yet been officially explained, and further details from the railway are awaited.

What a hot axle means

A hot axle is an overheated wheel bearing on a coach or wagon. It usually happens when a bearing is damaged, worn or not lubricated properly, so friction builds up as the train moves. If it is not spotted in time, the heat can cause smoke or fire, and in serious cases it can make the axle fail.

Railway staff watch for warning signs such as smoke, a burning smell or unusual noise from the running gear, and stations and patrol staff are trained to signal trains to stop when they notice them. Once a hot axle is found, the affected coach is normally checked and, if needed, detached before the train is allowed to go on.

A busy hill route

Langting lies on the Lumding-Badarpur hill section, the single main rail link between the Brahmaputra valley and the Barak Valley, and onward to Tripura, Mizoram and parts of Manipur. Several long-distance and intercity trains use this route every day, so any halt there can hold up services further down the line.

The section has seen repeated disruption this year, mostly from landslides and track restoration work during the monsoon. On October 29, the locomotive of the Silchar-Guwahati Express derailed near Badarpur, though no one was hurt and services later resumed.

It was not immediately clear how long the Rangiya-Silchar Express was held at Langting on Sunday or whether the coach was detached. NEInsider will update this story when Northeast Frontier Railway shares details of the cause and any delay to the train.