Khaberni - An Egyptian train driver of Russian model trains succeeded in preventing a certain disaster that nearly claimed the lives of hundreds of passengers after he detected a large fire next to the railway track during a trip from Aswan to Cairo.
According to informed sources in the Egyptian Railway Authority, the train driver noticed flames and thick smoke on the side of the track while the train was moving, and he did not hesitate to make an immediate decision to stop preventively, coordinating with his assistant to prevent the flames from extending to the train track or carriages, which could lead to a disaster similar to previous incidents witnessed on the Egyptian railways.
The quick stop temporarily halted train movements on the Cairo–Aswan downhill line, with immediate notification of the central operations room and the summoning of civil protection teams.
Fire trucks reached the site within minutes, managed to control and fully extinguish the fire before it reached the railway lines or caused any human injuries or significant material damage.
After ensuring the safety of the line and the completion of firefighting efforts, train movements gradually resumed, and the trips returned to their normal schedule without major delays or losses.
The network of Egyptian railways, one of the oldest and largest in the Middle East, has experienced recurring incidents over the years, some of which were caused by fires in the carriages or beside the tracks, such as the Upper Egypt train fire in 2002 which claimed the lives of dozens of passengers due to delayed detection and handling.
Other incidents occurred at Ramses Egypt Station in the capital Cairo in 2019 due to a collision of a locomotive leading to a massive fire.
In recent years, the Ministry of Transport has worked to improve safety through the development of signaling systems, training drivers, and enhancing supervision to reduce train accidents in the country.
