A panic moment occurred when two coaches of the Trivandrum-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express (12431) caught fire on the Kota division. The accident happened at around 5:15 a.m. Sunday between Luni Richha and Vikramgarh Alot (Madhya Pradesh) stations on the Kota division. Fortunately, no passenger was injured.
The fire broke out in coach number B-1 and the second luggage-cum-guard van behind it. Upon receiving information about the accident, sirens sounded at Kota Junction. Relief and rescue teams rushed to the scene.
Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Saurabh Jain stated that there were 68 passengers on board the coach. The guard first alerted the loco pilot to the fire. The train was then stopped.
Passengers were evacuated. The entire coach was evacuated in about 15 minutes. The fire had spread throughout the coach within minutes. However, there were no casualties.
Railway officials said some passengers’ luggage was destroyed in the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Accident before reaching Kota
The Trivandrum Rajdhani departed from Ratlam Junction in Madhya Pradesh at around 3:45 a.m. on Sunday morning. Its next stop was Kota Junction at 8:45 a.m. Before entering Rajasthan, a fire broke out in an AC coach near Vikramgarh Alot station. Within minutes, the fire spread to the luggage compartments in the front and rear, destroying passengers’ luggage. There were no passengers in this coach.
“The Burning Train” in #MadhyaPradesh
Panic onboard as fire breaks out in Coach B1 of the Hazrat Nizamuddin–Trivandrum Rajdhani Express between Alot and Luni Richha stations in Ratlam district.
68 passengers were inside the coach when flames spread within seconds. Quick action… pic.twitter.com/zYT0N527AB
— Ravish Pal Singh (@ReporterRavish) May 17, 2026Electricity connection was cut and traffic was also stopped
Since the accident, traffic on the Delhi-Mumbai railway track has been halted. The train’s power supply has been cut. The coach was also detached from the train. The fire was extinguished after approximately two hours.
Passengers were shifted to another coach. The train departed for Kota approximately four and a half hours later. An additional coach will be attached to the train in Kota, where the passengers from the accident-hit coach will be shifted.
Effect on 6 trains’ schedule
Saurabh Jain said that the accident has affected the schedules of five to six trains on both sides. Trains were stopped at various stations. Jain added that helpline numbers have been issued for passengers to obtain information regarding train timings.
Edited by: Bhoomi Goya
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