CUTTACK: A fire breakout incident was reported the Bhubaneswar-Howrah Jan Shatabdi Express at Cuttack station this Thursday morning. Smoke emerged from one of the train coach's brake shoes, sparking the blaze. Railway officials swiftly responded to the situation, managing to contain the fire. However, the cause of the flames remains unknown.

Once the fire was brought under control, the train resumed its journey. This comes after a similar incident last month on the New Delhi-Darbhanga Superfast Express, where a fire affected three coaches near UP's Etawah. Initial investigations suggested a short circuit as the probable cause.

Authorities reported that the Sarai Bhupat station's master noticed smoke in a sleeper coach while the train passed through. The train was promptly stopped upon alerting the driver and guard about the smoke. Some passengers evacuated the train as soon as the fire broke out.

This incident recalls the tragic crash in June this year, when the Coromandel Express collided with a stationary freight train at Bahanaga Bazar station in Odisha's Balasore district. The accident resulted in 293 deaths and over 1,200 injuries. The CBI had filed charges against three railway employees in connection with the Balasore train accident.

Contrarily, according to Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda's August statement, there has been a reduction in train accidents across India in recent years. He mentioned a decrease from an average annual count of 171 consequential train accidents during 2004-2014 to 71 during 2014-2023.

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