Rajdhani Express bursts into flames, more than 60 passengers rescued

A major disaster was narrowly averted on Sunday morning, May 17, 2026, when a massive fire broke out inside an air-conditioned coach of the Thiruvananthapuram–Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express (Train No. 12431). The incident occurred around 5:15 AM between the Luni Richha and Vikramgarh Alot railway stations in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam district, a section falling under the West Central Railway’s Kota Division. Thick smoke and flames suddenly began billowing from the B-1 AC coach positioned near the Seating-cum-Luggage Rake (SLR) end, sparking immediate panic among the onboard travelers.

The train’s guard quickly noticed the rising flames and alerted the loco pilot, who brought the high-speed Rajdhani Express to an immediate halt. Displaying commendable swiftness, railway staff and security personnel launched an emergency rescue operation, successfully evacuating all 68 passengers from the affected compartment within 15 minutes. To prevent the fire from spreading further down the rake, technical teams promptly disconnected the overhead electric (OHE) power supply and physically detached the burning B-1 and adjoining SLR coaches from the rest of the train.

Senior administrative and railway officials, including the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of the Ratlam division, rushed to the spot alongside local police forces and three fire brigade units to supervise the firefighting operations. Thanks to the rapid response of the emergency teams, the blaze was completely brought under control, and authorities confirmed that no casualties or injuries were reported among the passengers or railway crew. The evacuated passengers were temporarily accommodated in neighboring coaches while arrangements were finalized to continue their journey toward Rajasthan.

The fire incident significantly impacted rail operations along the crucial Delhi-Mumbai trunk route, causing a complete halt in train movements for nearly two hours. Approximately five to six inbound and outbound trains had to be regulated and stalled at various intermediary stations while safety inspections were carried out on the tracks.