DLR incident: East London's Pontoon Dock station evacuated after 'explosion' under train

Fiona Simpson19 February 2018

An east London DLR station has been evacuated following an electrical explosion underneath a train.

Passengers were forced to flee Pontoon Dock after an electrical fault sparked a minor explosion on Docklands Light Railway tracks.

Two passengers suffered minor injuries as they fled the train, British Transport Police said.

Dramatic videos posted on social media showed smoke pour out from under a carriage.

Shocked passengers spoke out about the experience with one branding it "terrifying".

Another said on Twitter that travellers had heard "two explosions".

A spokesman for BTP said: “We were called at 11.04am.

“The train was evacuated and two people are believed to have sustained minor injuries as they left the train.

“The station is currently closed while rail staff resolve the issue and determine the exact cause of the explosion.”

The DLR is part-suspended between Canning Town and Woolwich Arsenal due to the fault.

Mark Davis, TfL’s Interim General Manager for the DLR, said: “At around 11am our staff were alerted to reports of smoke on at DLR train at Pontoon Dock. Our staff immediately contacted the emergency services, who quickly attended, and ensured customers left the train and exited the station.

"The cause of the smoke was an electrical fault under one of the carriages, which resulted in a small fire that was quickly extinguished. Understandably this was a distressing incident for our customers, for which I give my sincere apologies. A comprehensive investigation into this incident is now underway.”

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