Five carriages from two coaches were on fire at Cape Town station on Sunday, a fire and rescue services spokesperson said.
"It is on platform 12," said Jermaine Carelse. "Five carriages are currently alight."
The fire fighters were currently isolating electrical sources in order to douse the blaze safely with water.
Carelse said three fire engines, a water tanker, a rescue vehicle and 19 staff were dispatched to the scene.
Palls of smoke and smouldering debris billowed out of the Cape Town train station.
At first there was only small puffs of smoke but it very quickly spread a thick black cloud over the station and taxi rank area.
A very strong wind blew the smoke out of the station.
President Cyril Ramaphosa recently attended the launch of the prototype of a planned new fleet for Metrorail which has been plagued by coach fires and cable theft.
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