A SEPTA train had a "strong burning smell" before catching fire in Delaware County and forcing passengers to evacuate, federal officials said.

Less than an hour before the Feb. 6 fire in Delaware County, the engineer reported a “strong burning smell," but the train was allowed to continue, the NTSB said.

A "strong burning smell" was reported in the lead railcar at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia about an hour before a SEPTA Regional Rail train with about 325 passengers caught fire at Crum Lynne Station in Ridley Park last month,

A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board on the Feb. 6 fire that evacuated a SEPTA regional rail train in Delaware County found that three “bad” cars caused the train to move slowly and eventually caught fire.

Hours before the fire, officials said an engineer reported the train being "sluggish and not getting up to speed, and that a fault light on the train was on."