A day after a conductor sparked a rush of panic when an Orange Line train experienced brake issues, Cheryl Burg Rusk could not shake an image from her mind: shoes, purses, and other belongings left scattered on the train platform, as passengers ran for safety.

“I was like, ‘What the heck happened here?’ ’’ Rusk, 60, recalled Tuesday. “It was unbelievable.’’

At 5:30 p.m. Monday, a fuse blew under an inbound Orange Line train carriage as it pulled up to the Massachusetts Avenue stop, sending a cloud of smoke into the station.

But as the conductor frantically yelled over the loudspeaker, “Get off the train!’’ and “Run, run!’’ many riders feared something far worse.

“It felt very panicked, to the point where you would just assume that either the train was about to blow, or there was someone with a weapon,’’ said Atticus White, 27, of Boston.

Another rider, William Rosenberry, 32, of Jamaica Plain, said the conductor’s reaction, combined with the smoke and a loud popping sound, sent people running for their lives.

“I don’t know how anyone thought it was anything else but a terrorist attack,’’ he said.

Rosenberry described a harrowing scene of people yelling, screaming, and crying as they pushed their way from the train and up a crowded stairwell.

“It was like every man for himself,’’ he said.

The conductor was removed from service for unacceptable conduct, said Joe Pesaturo, a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority spokesman.

“The motor person’s behavior, as reported by customers, was completely unacceptable and contrary to the training provided to all front-line staff,’’ Pesaturo said. “Employees are trained on how to react in various situations.’’

The driver, who has driven an MBTA train since January without incident, recently attended an eight-hour class on how to respond to a range of situations, from a disabled train to a serious emergency, Pesaturo said.

The training also included a number of exercises on remaining calm to avoid creating panic among riders, Pesaturo said.

When a train is disabled, drivers are supposed to announce: “Due to a mechanical problem, this train is being taken out of service. Please step out onto the platform and wait for the next train. We apologize for the inconvenience.’’

Pesaturo said the driver was aware the train was experiencing a mechanical issue, but did not tell his supervisors that he feared anything more serious.

Pesaturo said he did not know how long the driver will be removed from service.

“At minimum he will be retrained, but after the formal investigation is completed, further discipline may be warranted,’’ he said.

While several riders said the brake issues caused a panic, Rusk, of West Roxbury, said she never thought it was anything more serious than a mechanical error, although the driver’s reaction definitely added to the commotion.

“People are just so on edge these days, and it’s just frightening to see how nervous people are,’’ she said.

But for her, it was just another day on the Orange Line.

Trisha Thadani can be reached at trisha.thadani@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @TrishaThadani