Smoke after brake jam triggers panic on board Pawan Express

Smoke emanating from wheels of the Darbhanga-bound Pawan Express due to a brake jam triggered panic among passengers near two suburban stations on Thursday afternoon.

The incident took place twice between 1 pm and 2 pm near Kalyan and Titwala stations, located 45 km and 60 km away, respectively, from here in neighbouring Thane district.

The train was halted at both the locations for 10 to 15 minutes due to brake-binding of the power generator van, Central Railway's chief spokesperson Shivaji Sutar said.

During binding, the train brakes sometimes get jammed with wheels.

Since the power generator coach was surrounded by thick white smoke, the passengers on board the train panicked.

"However, the railway authorities appealed to them not to worry. "Such things rarely happen but there was nothing unsafe. We appealed to people not to panic," he said.

The first brake jam incident occurred when the train was approaching Kalyan station around 1 pm. The second incident happened when train crossed Titwala station at 1.50 pm, another railway official said.

The train was held at both the locations for 10 to 15 minutes each because of the issue, he said.

Railway personnel attended to it and the train, which runs daily between Lokmanya Tilak Terminus here and Darbhanga (in Bihar), later left for his onward journey, Sutar said.