A fire broke out in one of the AC coaches of the Delhi-bound Thiruvananthapuram-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express near Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday, forcing an emergency halt and disrupting rail traffic on the Delhi-Mumbai route for nearly two hours.
Railway staff quickly isolated the affected coach and evacuated all passengers safely before the blaze could spread further.
The incident took place around 5:30 am between Luni Richha and Vikramgarh Alot stations under the West Central Railway's Kota Division while the train was moving, railway officials said.
A fire was reported in B-1 coach (near SLR end) of Train No. 12431 Thiruvananthapuram–Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express between Luni Richha (LNR) and Vikramgarh Alot (VMA) at Km 729/02 (Loco) & 728/14-16 (SLR) in Down direction. All passengers of the affected coach were safely… pic.twitter.com/uOJXP5xqUj
— ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2026
Smoke and flames were detected in the B-1 AC coach of Train No. 12431, following which the loco pilot was alerted to stop the train immediately. Railway authorities also cut the overhead electric power supply and detached the affected coach from the rest of the train to contain the fire.
Quick Response
A rescue team from the Kota Railway Division was sent to the site soon after the incident was reported to support evacuation efforts and restore operations.
"All passengers of the affected coach were safely evacuated," railway officials said in a statement shared by ANI.
No injuries or casualties were reported.
"A fire was reported in B-1 coach (near SLR end) of Train No. 12431 Thiruvananthapuram-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express between Luni Richha (LNR) and Vikramgarh Alot (VMA)," railway authorities said in the statement.
Route Hit
Train services on the busy Delhi-Mumbai corridor remained affected for nearly two hours as officials carried out rescue work and track safety inspections at the site.
The exact cause of the fire has not been identified yet. Railway authorities have started a formal investigation into the incident.
Fresh Concern
The Rajdhani Express fire comes days after another train fire incident involving the Hyderabad-Jaipur Special Express at Nampally Railway Station on May 15.
Two air-conditioned coaches of that train had caught fire while the train was stationed at the platform.
ALSO READ: Cabinet Clears India's First Indigenous Semi-High-Speed Rail Corridor In Gujarat
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
