A major rail disaster was narrowly averted on Sunday morning, May 17, 2026, after a massive fire broke out inside an air-conditioned coach of the Delhi-bound Thiruvananthapuram–Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express (Train 12431) in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam district.
Thanks to swift emergency action by the train crew, all 68 passengers inside the affected coach were evacuated safely within 15 minutes, and no injuries or casualties have been reported.
How the Incident Unfolded
The premium train had departed from Ratlam Junction at 3:45 AM and was moving at full speed when the train guard noticed flames coming from the rear end of the rake.
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Time and Location: The fire erupted at approximately 5:15 AM between the Vikramgarh Alot and Luni Richha stations under the Kota railway division.
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The Damage: The blaze originated in the B-1 AC coach and quickly spread to the adjacent second luggage-cum-guard van (SLR) attached right behind it. Thick plumes of dense black smoke filled the air, briefly catching some trees alongside the tracks.
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Emergency Response: The loco pilot brought the train to an immediate halt. Railway personnel disconnected the overhead electric supply (OHE) lines for safety and detached both the burning B-1 coach and the guard van from the rest of the rake to prevent the fire from spreading further.
Onward Arrangements for Stranded Passengers
The fire was successfully brought under control by dispatching an accident relief train and localized firefighting teams.
According to Harshit Shrivastava, the Chief Public Relations Officer for West Central Railway, the train was cleared to resume its onward journey at around 9:45 AM after a delay of nearly four hours. The displaced passengers were temporarily accommodated in other compartments of the train for the transit up to Kota Junction in Rajasthan, where a fresh AC coach is being attached to restore the train’s full capacity.
Delhi-Mumbai Route Crippled; 18 Trains Impacted
Because the accident occurred on the high-frequency Delhi-Mumbai trunk line, rail traffic along the corridor was temporarily suspended, throwing regional Sunday schedules into disarray.
At least 18 trains were delayed or halted at various peripheral stations while the tracks were cleared. Among the prominent services hit by the disruption were:
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The Avadh Express (Bandra Terminus to Barauni Junction)
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The Mumbai Central–Duronto Express (Hazrat Nizamuddin to Mumbai)
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The Hazrat Nizamuddin–Pune Special
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The New Delhi–Indore Express
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The Haridwar–Bandra Terminus Express
En-Route Accident Hinders Relief Ops
In a separate but related incident, a railway utility van carrying essential overhead electric line repair equipment to the accident site overturned near Alot. The driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle when a stray cow suddenly wandered onto the road. The accident left five railway staffers injured, with one employee reported to be in critical condition. All injured workers have been shifted to a hospital in Kota for emergency medical care.
Senior railway officials, including the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Ratlam, are currently at the site coordinating track restoration work. A high-level investigation has been ordered to pinpoint the exact cause behind the fire in the premium AC coach.
