Fire erupts in Rajdhani Express coach near Ratlam, no casualties

A fire broke out in an AC coach of the Thiruvananthapuram-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam district on Sunday morning, though all passengers and railway staff were safely rescued without any injuries or casualties.
According to Harshit Shrivastava,Chief Public Relations Officer of WCR , the incident occurred around 5:15 am in the B-1 coach of train number 12431 while the train was moving between Luni Richha and Vikramgarh Alot stations in the Kota Division of West Central Railway (WCR).Shrivastava said the overhead electric (OHE) supply was immediately cut off after the fire was detected and the affected coach was detached from the train as a precautionary measure.“All passengers of the affected coach were safely deboarded and no injury or casualty has been reported among passengers or railway staff,” he said.

#WATCH | Jabalpur, MP | West Central Railway Headquarters CPRO Harshit Shrivastava says, "This morning at around 5.15 AM, it was reported that a fire broke out in the B coach and SLR coach of Train number 12431, the Thiruvananthapuram Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express... Upon… https://t.co/Awe7XEFzzf pic.twitter.com/K56xmyga1n

— ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2026

Railway officials and employees rushed to the site and launched fire-fighting operations. Refreshments were also provided to passengers of the affected coach while arrangements were made for their onward journey.According to railway officials, an additional coach will be attached to the train at Kota Junction railway station to facilitate passengers travelling further.
The train later departed from the site at around 9:48 am with a diesel engine towards Vikramgarh Alot station after the situation was brought under control.Senior officials from the Kota Division have also left for the spot to assess the situation. Railway authorities said the section is expected to be cleared shortly, while the cause of the fire is currently under investigation.Following the incident, Train No. 12955 was detained at Mahidpur Road station for some time as a precautionary measure.The Thiruvananthapuram-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express covers a distance of over 3,100 km and operates three times a week between Kerala and the national capital, halting at several major stations including Surat, Vadodara, Ratlam and Kota Junction.