A fire broke out in a goods train at the Arakkonam railway yard on Sunday.
Railway officials said that the train, travelling from Athipet near Chennai to the Mettur thermal power plant in Salem, was carrying coal. Around 3 a.m., a security guard at the yard noticed thick smoke emanating from one of the wagons. He immediately alerted the engine driver.
Fire and rescue services personnel from Arakkonam rushed to the spot. Sources said that the firemen doused the flames in 20 minutes after delinking the affected wagon from the rest of the train to prevent the fire from spreading. As the incident occurred inside the yard, regular train services were not affected. Around 4.50 a.m., the train left the yard for Mettur.
An investigation is under way.
