I visited Welwyn North following reports on the local radio of a train fire at the station. The Class 180 unit left Hull at 10:30am with the 1A93 designation to Kings Cross, and was running 8 minutes late as it passed through the tunnels at Welwyn North at around 12:52

Eyewitness reports said that as it passed through the second tunnel, huge flames and lots of smoke billowed from the rear unit, which allegedly caused a north bound freight train to also perform an emergency breaking, although looking at Realtime Trains the only freight movement prior to the incident went through Welwyn North around 18 minutes earlier.

When I got to the station coaches had been laid on to take the passengers on to Kings Cross, and just transport police, fire crews and railway officials were in attendance and the station had been closed to stopping trains, with a speed restriction imposed for passing trains.

You can see from the video that a lot of fluid had been sprayed over the rear unit, and smoke was still venting from the underside panels. A line block was placed allowing the officials to make an inspection. The decision was made to power up the first two units and route the train into a siding at Welwyn Garden City.

Sand was laid over the rails as there was signs of oil over the tracks, and then the lines were re-opened again, with a stream of backed up trains running through one after another. The train then limped under its own power the short journey across Digswell Viaduct into Welwyn Garden City.