A fire broke out in the B-1 coach of Train No 12431 Thiruvananthapuram–Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express on Sunday. All passengers were evacuated safely, with no injuries or casualties reported. Authorities are investigating the cause, and firefighting efforts are underway.
West Central Railway of Kota Division said, “A fire was reported in B-1 coach (near SLR end) of Train No. 12431 Thiruvananthapuram–Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express between Luni Richha (LNR) and Vikramgarh Alot (VMA) at Km 729/02 (Loco) & 728/14-16 (SLR) in Down direction. All passengers of the affected coach were safely deboarded. No injury or casualty to any passenger or railway staff. OHE supply was cut immediately.”
Elaborating on the incident, the authorities said, “The affected B-1 coach was detached from the rake. Railway employees and officers rushed to the spot and are engaged in firefighting operations. Train No. 12955 was held at Mahidpur Road (MEP). The section will be cleared shortly. The cause of the fire is being investigated.”
Where did Rajdhani Express catch fire?
In the early hours of 17 May, flames engulfed an AC coach of the Rajdhani Express in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam district, railway officials informed PTI. The blaze reportedly broke out at 5:15 am in the Kota division of the railways.
The train coach which caught fire was carrying 68 passengers, senior railways commercial manager Sourbah Jain said. Emergency measures were promptly taken when authorities were alerted about the incident and the affected coach was detached from the rake. To prevent further spread of fire, overhead electric supply (OHE) was immediately switched off.
“All the passengers were deboarded from the train. None of the passengers sustained injuries,” PTI quoted Kota railway PRO Ravindera Lakhara as saying. For the remaining journey up to Kota, arrangements have been made to accommodate them in other coaches and an additional coach will be attached at Kota station to restore full capacity.
As per the officials, this incident disrupted the movement of several trains that were scheduled to operate on the Mumbai-Delhi route.
Five injured as van carrying repair equipment overturns
After the Sunday morning Rajdhani Express accident, a van was rushed to MP's Ratlam district, the site where fire broke out, with equipment for repair of overhead electric line repair and other parts. However, the vehicle overturned on its way to Alot from Shyamnagar in Ratlam, West Central Railway's chief public relations officer Harshit Shrivastava informed PTI.
The vehicle driver lost balance after a cow suddenly strayed into the middle of the road. Five individuals sustained injuries in the incident with one being critical. The injured railwaymen were rushed to the hospital and were subsequently referred to Kota in Rajasthan.
