Fire breaks out in Rajdhani Express coach near Ratlam

Ratlam : A fire broke out in an air-conditioned coach of the Thiruvananthapuram–Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express near Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh in the early hours of Sunday, leading to the evacuation of passengers and disruption of rail traffic on the Mumbai–Delhi route.

Railway officials said the incident occurred in the B-1 coach of Train No. 12431 between Luni Richha and Vikramgarh Alot stations under the Kota Division of the West Central Railway. The train was on its way to New Delhi from Thiruvananthapuram.

According to officials, smoke and flames were noticed emerging from the coach while the train was in motion. The guard immediately alerted the loco pilot, following which the train was brought to a halt and passengers were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Officials said 68 passengers were travelling in the affected coach at the time of the incident. No casualties or injuries among passengers were reported.

Fire and emergency response teams were rushed to the spot to control the blaze. Railway personnel detached the affected coach from the rake to prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent compartments.

The incident led to disruption of services on the busy Mumbai–Delhi rail corridor, with several trains delayed or diverted. Railway authorities said efforts were underway to restore normal movement on the route.

In a related incident, five railway personnel sustained injuries after a maintenance vehicle overturned while proceeding towards the site of the fire, according to officials.

Senior railway officials reached the spot and an inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the fire. Preliminary investigations are underway.