Smoke beneath AC rake triggers panic

Kolkata: Metro services were disrupted for a while in the peak hours of Monday afternoon when smoke was detected beneath a Dum Dum-bound AC rake at Central Metro Station.

The incident triggered panic among the pandal-hoppers who were on their way to the mandaps on Shashti. There were many passengers who were standing on the platform to catch a train.

After the train entered the platform, some of the passengers spotted smoke billowing out from beneath the rake. This occurred at around 2 pm when the Puja rush had just begun. The matter was immediately informed to the Railway officials. The power connection in the third rail was immediately disconnected. The incident caused chaos inside the Metro station.

Many of the passengers were found jostling with each other to come out of the station. The Metro Railway officials and the RPF rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control. The train was crowded as it was a Puja day. The matter was immediately informed to the fire brigade.

The Metro Railway officials carried out a campaign through microphone assuring people not to panic and stay calm. The officials are looking into the possible cause of the smoke. A probe has been initiated in this regard. According to sources in the Metro Railways services were disrupted for nearly 10 minutes. The Metro Railway engineers were examining the AC rake to confirm if there was any technical glitch. Services were resumed within 15 minutes. When Metro services resumed, Dum Dum-bound trains were overcrowded. As a result, many passengers failed to board the next few trains. According to the preliminary investigation, Metro officials suspect that there must have been some technical problem leading to the incident. The exact cause of the smoke is yet to be confirmed by the Metro Railway authorities.