Rajdhani Express Fire: 15-Minute Rescue Averts Major Tragedy Near Ratlam

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  Rajdhani Express Fire: 15-Minute Rescue Averts Major Tragedy Near Ratlam


Fire in Rajdhani Express: Railways saves 68 passengers in 15 minutes in Ratlam, announces nationwide fire safety audit


Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh | 17 May 2026 - 68 passengers were saved from a major accident when a fire broke out in the Thiruvananthapuram-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express on Sunday morning. At around 5:15 am, a fire suddenly broke out in the B-1 AC coach between Luni Richa and Vikramgarh Alot stations in Ratlam district. Out of the 68 passengers in the coach, 40 were from Kerala, bound for Thiruvananthapuram.


Railways brought everyone out in 15 minutes

The train guard first saw the smoke. He immediately alerted the loco pilot. The pilot stopped the train by applying the emergency brake. Then, the RPF jawans and onboard staff together brought all the passengers out of the coach in just 15 minutes.  This is a record response time for a premium train.


Ramesh Nair, a passenger from Kochi, said, “I suddenly smelled burning in the morning. When I opened the door, I saw that the entire corridor was filled with smoke. I thought I would not survive. But the railway staff kept their cool and brought us out through the window. I am alive today because of them.”


Another passenger from Kollam said, “The smoke from the AC coach was suffocating. But everyone was out within 10 minutes. Thanks to the railway team for taking such quick action.”


How the fire was extinguished

Initial investigation suggests that the fire broke out in coach B-1 due to a short circuit. Then the fire spread to the luggage-cum-guard van. Immediately after the accident, the overhead electrical supply was switched off to prevent the fire from spreading. The affected coach was separated from the rest of the rake. 


3 fire engines and a medical team reached the spot. The DRM Accident Relief from Ratlam arrived at the spot with a train. The passengers were accommodated in another coach.  An additional coach has been added to Kota station to ensure that the number of passengers is correct.


Nationwide fire safety audit

After this incident, Indian Railways made a big announcement. A nationwide audit will be conducted on the fire safety system of all passenger coaches. It will be checked whether the smoke detector and fire extinguisher are in order in each coach. Separate safety checks will be conducted on premium trains like Rajdhani, Shatabdi, and Vande Bharat.


Train services disrupted on Delhi-Mumbai route

Due to the fire, train services on the Delhi-Mumbai route were affected. 5-6 trains, including the Mumbai-Jaipur Superfast Express, were stuck on Mahidpur Road. For now, trains are being run on a single line. As a result, several trains are running late by 3 to 5 hours.


The train resumed its journey at 9:45 am with the diesel engine on.  The train was scheduled to reach Kota at 8:45 am, but will reach by 11:00 am.


Why was a major accident avoided this time

Pre-cognition: The guard's action allowed the train to stop before the fire spread.

OHE line closed: The overhead power was cut immediately, preventing an electric blast.

Quick separation of coaches: The burning coach was separated from the rest of the train in a few minutes.

Local help: Malayali organizations in Kota arranged food and accommodation for the stranded passengers.


The Railway Board said that taking lessons from this incident, the work of installing automatic fire suppression systems in every Rajdhani and Premium train will be expedited. In addition, fire fighting training for onboard staff is also being made mandatory.

Reported by Sanchita chatterjee. 

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