25 September 2007
Subway services back to normal after interruption
Services on the Glasgow Subway were suspended for just under an hour today due to a mechanical fault in a Subway power unit.
The driver of the train saw smoke and flames coming from below one of the Subway cars as it approached Kelvinbridge station from St Georges Cross on the Inner Circle. The train was halted in Kelvinbridge and passengers evacuated under normal incident procedures.
An estimated 50 people were evacuated from the train and the adjacent platform. There was smoke coming from below the train when the passengers alighted but it had stopped by the time the Fire service arrived at the station. British Transport Police officers also attended the incident.
Engineers at the Subway are now investigating the cause of the incident. Initial findings suggest a hose in one of the braking systems had split and this caused oil in the adjacent area to ignite – hence reports of smoke coming from below the Subway car. But initial reports also suggest that the oil which ignited was residue in the engine area and so the smoke and fire did not last long.
The damaged train unit was taken from Kelvinbridge to the Broomloan depot for repair and normal service on both circles was restored at 7.55am.
Initial reports on the media that there had been a fire in Kelvinbridge station – although in one sense entirely accurate – may have given the impression of a much more serious incident than was actually the case.
ends