A fire broke out in the B-1 coach of the Thiruvananthapuram-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express early Sunday morning [1].
The incident highlights the critical nature of rapid evacuation protocols in high-speed rail transport to prevent mass casualties during onboard emergencies.
The fire started at 5:15 a.m. [1] on May 17, 2026 [6]. The affected train, identified as No. 12431 [3], was traveling between the Luni Richha and Vikramgarh Alot stations [5] in the Ratlam district of Madhya Pradesh. This area falls within the Kota division of the West Central Railway [2].
Emergency responders and railway officials evacuated 68 passengers from the B-1 coach [2]. No injuries or casualties were reported following the evacuation [4]. To manage the crisis, officials cut the overhead equipment (OHE) power supply to the tracks, a necessary step to ensure the safety of the rescue teams.
Once the fire was extinguished, railway personnel detached the damaged coach from the rest of the train to allow the remaining carriages to proceed. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation [3].
While some reports placed the incident near the Kota district of Rajasthan, official records from the West Central Railway indicate the location was within Madhya Pradesh [2].
“All 68 passengers in the affected B-1 coach were safely evacuated”
The successful evacuation of the Rajdhani Express without casualties demonstrates the effectiveness of current emergency response times and passenger safety drills. However, the need to detach a coach and cut power supply indicates a significant mechanical or electrical failure, which will likely prompt a safety audit of the B-1 coach series within the West Central Railway division.
