58 rescued after fire on train in York – passenger tells of drama

The train, travelling from Leeds to Newcastle, was carrying 54 passengers and four staff when it stopped at about 10.30pm last night in the Hob Moor area of York.

Harry Cooke, of Colenso Street, York, was one of the passengers on board and said they had to wait more than two hours before they finally arrived at York Railway Station after another train pulled up alongside to pick them up.

Harry explained: "As soon as we stopped the train staff came down the carriage and told us to move down to the front carriage and said there had been an incident at the rear carriage.

"Everyone was extremely calm. It was quite late. Everyone was quite tired. There was an acrid smell. We could tell it was a mechanical failure rather than anything else.

"We stopped outside York for about an hour. We could see there were fire crews outside the train with their torches on. They were checking the engine on every carriage.

"The staff told us we were going to get another train alongside us. The staff kept us informed all the time."

Harry said that everyone was asked to climb out of the driver's cabin and onto the track before boarding the other train.

The passengers and staff finally arrived at York Railway Station at about 1am.

Fire crews were called at about 10.40pm to assist in the evacuation.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "York and Acomb crews sent to assist after a train had reported its fire prevention system had been activated.

"When crews arrived, they confirmed a fire had occurred on an express passenger train. The fire was in the rear engine, it was extinguished by the train’s own fire prevention system. The fire was out on arrival of fire and rescue personnel.

"Fire and Rescue crews cooled the rear engine using two foam extensions and checked for residual heat with a thermal image camera."

The incident caused delays to trains travelling through York of up to 60 minutes.