A fire broke out in the engine of the Dhaka-bound Egaroshindhur Provati train from Kishoreganj at Pubail in Gazipur on Friday afternoon, disrupting train services on the Dhaka-bound line from Chittagong.
The incident occurred around 4:30pm as the train was passing Pubail station. Thick black smoke billowing from the engine triggered panic among passengers.
Passengers said the engine was switched off after the smoke appeared, reducing the smoke but failing to put out the fire. Local residents and railway staff eventually extinguished the blaze using water from a nearby drain and a building under construction.
The train driver said locals rushed to help, bringing buckets, water pots and motorised water hoses to extinguish the fire.
Rafiqul Hasan, officer-in-charge of Bhairab Railway Police Station, said smoke had been seen coming from the engine, but he could not confirm whether there was a fire.
Train services on the Dhaka-bound line from Chittagong were temporarily suspended, while services on the Chittagong-bound line from Dhaka remained operational.
Anisur Rahman, director of the Bangladesh Railway's public relations department, later confirmed that train movement in Gazipur had returned to normal.
He said another engine was being used to take the stranded Egaroshindhur train to Dhaka.
A four-member committee has been formed to investigate the incident.