A fire broke out in an AC coach of the Thiruvananthapuram-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam district on Sunday (May 17, 2026) morning, railway officials said.
No casualties have been reported in the blaze that broke out at 5.15 a.m. in the B-1 coach of the train (12431) carrying 68 passengers, prompting emergency measures, senior railways commercial manager Sourbah Jain said.
The incident occurred between Alot and Lunirichha stations under the Kota division of the railways, Ratlam division PRO Mukesh Kumar said.
The affected coach was later detached from the rake, and the overhead electric supply (OHE) was promptly switched off to ensure safety.
The fire in the coach was subsequently doused, Mr. Kumar said.
All the passengers were deboarded from the train. None of the passengers sustained injuries, Kota railway PRO Ravindera Lakhara told PTI.
Arrangements have been made to accommodate them in other coaches for the journey up to Kota, officials said.
An additional coach will be attached at Kota station to restore full capacity.
Schedules of more than 10 trains on the Mumbai-Delhi route were affected due to damage caused to the overhead equipment in the incident. Rail traffic was later restored after more than seven hours, even as an investigation was underway into the cause of the blaze.
The blaze erupted at 5.15 a.m. in the B-1 coach of the train between Vikramgarh Alot and Lunirichha stations under the Kota division of the railways and also damaged the luggage-cum-guard van behind the coach, West Central Railway’s Chief Public Relation Officer Harshit Shrivastava told PTI over the phone.
Arrangements were made to accommodate the passengers in other coaches for their onward journey up to Kota in Rajasthan, Kota railway PRO Ravindra Lakhara said.
Some trains were halted at different stations following the incident, and the movement was restored after more than seven hours, the officials said.
“The fire affected the movement of 13 passenger trains. The repair work of the overhead equipment on the (Delhi-bound) up line, on which the train caught fire, was completed around 1 pm. On the down Delhi-Mumbai line, it was done at 8.30 a.m.,” Lakhara said.
Railway authorities immediately switched off the overhead electric supply, and the fire was doused.
Published - May 17, 2026 09:18 am IST
