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ARCHIVED - Packed Madrid train bursts into flames minutes into journey
The fire originated in the engine, filling the carriages with smoke 16 minutes after leaving Spain's capital
Horrified passengers aboard a Renfe medium-distance Madrid-Extremadura train were evacuated minutes into their journey after the engine burst into flames, unleashing thick black smoke into the carriages.According to Spain's leading rail operator Renfe, a fuel hose ruptured in the underbody of a carriage at around 6.30pm on Thursday and the train was forced to stop at Leganés station just 16 minutes after leaving Madrid.
Un tren comienza a arder y pasajeros ayudan a extinguir el fuego
— SocialDrive (@SocialDrive_es) April 21, 2023
📹 Leganés, Madrid pic.twitter.com/c63Wkk9gIH
A few minutes later the station was completely filled with smoke. Station operators immediately tried to smother the flames with fire extinguishers until the arrival of the fire brigade.
Thankfully, nobody was hurt, but many of the 166 passengers were left "terrified" and "outraged". The station voltage was cut and a reserve Alvia 730 series train was drafted in to take travellers bound for Extremadura to their destination once power was restored at 9pm
Voy de regreso a Extremadura y el tren sale ardiendo en la estación de Leganés . Seguimos con el tren de la vergüenza pic.twitter.com/viFAKHmRFa
— Dolores Marcos (@LoliMarcos) April 20, 2023
One of the passengers on the train was the Partido Popular (PP) national deputy for Cáceres, Dolores Marcos, who posted on her social networks: "I'm on my way back to Extremadura and the train is on fire at Leganés station. We are still on the train of shame".
She then described how she saw "fire" on the inside of the carriage and that Renfe workers used fire extinguishers to put out the fire, which created a lot more smoke, causing some passengers to "leave the carriages coughing".
She added that when the fire broke out, Renfe staff on the train began telling passengers "they had to get off".
"Get off, get off, they told us. It was a tremendous shock", added Marcos.
This is not the first time that the train linking the Spanish capital with Extremadura has caught fire. In June 2018, a blaze broke out in one of the carriages at Torrijos (Toledo) with 65 passengers on board. Two of them suffered minor injuries. The passengers were left stranded in the middle of the countryside and were rescued by the Guardia Civil.
Earlier this month, Renfe announced that passengers who use its Cercanía, Rodiales and Media Distancía saervies can now apply for a pass that allows free travel between May 1 and August 31.
Image: SocialDrive Twitter
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