Summary of this article
A fire broke out in the B-1 AC coach of the Thiruvananthapuram-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam district on Sunday morning.
All 68 passengers in the affected coach were evacuated within 15 minutes and no casualties or injuries were reported.
The damaged coach and guard van were detached before the train resumed its journey, while several trains on the Delhi-Mumbai route were delayed due to the incident.
In the Ratlam region of Madhya Pradesh, an air-conditioned coach of a Rajdhani Express travelling from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi caught fire early on Sunday morning, according to railway officials.
The coach, carrying as many as 68 passengers, was evacuated within 15 minutes, and there were no casualties, they said, adding that the schedules of several other trains were affected due to the incident.
The B-1 coach of the Thiruvananthapuram-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express (train number 12431) caught fire at 5:15 a.m., West Central Railway's Chief Public Relations Officer Harshit Shrivastava told PTI.
The train had departed from Ratlam Junction at around 3.45 am.
The incident occurred between Vikramgarh Alot and Lunirichha stations under the Kota division of the railways, PRO Mukesh Kumar of the Ratlam division said.
"All the passengers were deboarded from the affected coach in 15 minutes. The fire also damaged the second luggage-cum-guard van (SLR) attached behind the B-1 coach," Shrivastava said.
The overhead electric supply was immediately turned off by the railway authorities, and the fire was subsequently put out.
Around 9.45 am, the train left for its next destination after the impacted guard van and the coach were separated from the rake, according to Shrivastava.
The train is likely to reach Kota station in Rajasthan around 11 am (as against its scheduled time of 8.45 am). According to the officials, a second coach will be attached there to restore full capacity.
All passengers were safely disembarked, and none were hurt, according to Kota Railway PRO Ravindra Lakhara. Arrangements were made to accommodate the passengers in other coaches for their onward journey up to Kota, he added.
Five to six train schedules were impacted by the disruption of rail operations on the Delhi-Mumbai route. Following the incident, certain trains were stopped at various stations, according to officials.
Railway authorities also issued helpline numbers for passengers seeking information about train movements.
Ajay Kumar Kalara, the Ratlam Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), was keeping an eye on things. According to the officials, a tower wagon and a relief train were dispatched for rescue and restoration tasks.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
With PTI inputs
