A fire broke out in the engine of the Mysuru–Udaipur Humsafar Express near Channapatna on Thursday morning, temporarily disrupting train services but causing no casualties.
The incident occurred around 11:20 am near the Vandaraguppe railway crossing. According to witnesses, the flames were first noticed by a car passenger driving alongside the tracks, who urgently signaled to the loco pilots. CCTV footage from a nearby building showed the train engine moving with fire pouring from the roof.
Channapatna fire and emergency services, located just 4 km away, quickly dispatched two fire tenders. The flames were brought under control within 20 minutes.
“We received an alert around 11:25 am. Thankfully, the fire had not reached the diesel tank or spread to passenger coaches,” said a fire department official.
Railway authorities later confirmed that the blaze was due to a technical fault. No injuries were reported among passengers or crew.
The damaged engine was sent to Krishnarajapuram Loco Shed for inspection. A replacement locomotive was dispatched from Bengaluru to haul the train to the city. Another engine was later attached for the remainder of the journey toward Udaipur.
Railway officials stated the incident caused a total delay of 64 minutes at the spot. Service resumed normally once the new engine was operational