Fire breaks out on Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam, rail traffic hit for over seven hours

New Delhi: A fire broke out on a Rajdhani Express train heading from Thiruvananthapuram to New Delhi in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam district on Sunday morning, damaging two coaches and disrupting rail traffic on the busy Mumbai-Delhi route for more than seven hours.

No casualties were reported among passengers, though five railway staffers were injured — one of them critically — in a separate road accident involving a repair van.

The train had left Ratlam Junction around 3:45 am and the blaze erupted at 5:15 am between Vikramgarh Alot and Lunirichha stations under the Kota division.

The fire damaged the B-1 coach, which was carrying 68 passengers, and the luggage-cum-guard van behind it, West Central Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Harshit Shrivastava said.

The railway staff swiftly switched off the overhead electric supply (OHE) and doused the flames. All passengers were safely evacuated within 15 minutes. The affected coach was later detached, and the train resumed its journey towards New Delhi at around 9:45 am after passengers were accommodated in other coaches.

“The fire affected the movement of 13 passenger trains,” Kota Railway PRO Ravindra Lakhara said.

Repair work on the down (Delhi-Mumbai) line was completed by 8:30 am, while the up (Delhi-bound) line was restored around 1 pm. Ratlam Divisional Railway Manager Ajay Kumar Kalara monitored the situation.

A relief train and tower wagon were rushed to the spot for rescue and restoration operations.  In a related incident, a van carrying essential equipment for overhead equipment repair overturned on its way from Shyamnagar to Vikramgarh Alot after a cow suddenly strayed onto the road. Five railway staffers were injured and shifted to a hospital in Kota. 

An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire.