HANSON, MASS. (WHDH) - Passengers are hoping for a smoother ride on the Commuter Rail after a train engine burst into flames in Hanson Thursday morning.
Video captured by a 7News viewer showed smoke pouring from train 034, which travels on the Kingston Line, just before 7 a.m.
Passengers forced to disembark boarded an extra train to South Station in Boston about 8:20 a.m., MBTA officials wrote on Twitter.
Dan Dufresne, who was one of the passengers on board the initial train, recalled when the conductor alerted them to the mechanical issue.
“We just went one stop to Hanson and the train stopped and pulled into the station normally. The conductor came on and said, ‘Folks, there’s a little bit of a problem with the engine.” he said. “Then a few minutes later, he came on and he said, ‘Folks, actually the problem is more involved than we thought. We’re not going to be going anywhere anytime soon. This engine is not going to be able to move.
Keolis, the company responsible for operating the Commuter Rail for the MBTA, says the fire department responded to the scene as a precautionary measure.
“Crews encountered some moderate smoke coming from the locomotive, the top of the locomotive,” Fire Chief Jerome Thompson said. “A further investigation revealed an active fire in an engine compartment that was contained to that area.”
The flames were contained and the train was cleared from the tracks just before 9 a.m.
There were no reported injuries.
the fire came on the heels of another terrifying incident where a wheel fell off a passenger car in Waltham.
People who rely on the Commuter Rail say they hope this week isn’t a sign of what’s to come this winter.
“I do feel nervous because I didn’t know about it and to hear about it makes me feel a little worried,” commuter Olivia Marks said, “but this is Boston and the winters have been getting worse year after year and I hope our city is taking that into account and taking it seriously moving forward.”
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