Rajdhani Express fire: Swift emergency evacuation by RPF, rail staff saves 68 passengers in B-1 coach
Bhopal/Ratlam: It was a swift, around 15-minute emergency evacuation protocol by onboard Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel and railway staff that helped successfully deboard all 68 passengers from the B-1 coach of Train No. 12431 TVC-NZM Rajdhani Express on Sunday.
A massive fire broke out in the Thiruvananthapuram Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express 12431 in the morning, causing widespread panic.
The incident occurred around 5:30 a.m. between the Luni Richha and Vikramgarh Alot stations under the Kota Division of the West Central Railway, located approximately 110 kilometres from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh.
The blaze reportedly originated in the third AC coach designated as B-1, which was situated near the SLR luggage brake van coach towards the front of the Delhi-bound premium train. Thick smoke was initially seen billowing from the undercarriage of the coach, and within moments, the fire intensified rapidly, engulfing both the third AC and the adjacent SLR coaches in towering flames that were visible from a great distance.
A major tragedy was averted due to the swift action of the train guard, who promptly noticed the fire and alerted the loco pilot, bringing the high-speed train to an immediate halt.
Passengers were temporarily shifted to other coaches as the Railway Police and the staff raced against time and the blaze to save the passengers.
Fire brigade teams and senior railway officials, including the Ratlam Divisional Railway Manager, rushed to the site to supervise the firefighting operations.
As a safety precaution, the overhead electric supply was disconnected, and the two damaged coaches were detached from the rest of the train rake.
According to the senior divisional railway manager, while the incident caused no casualties or injuries among passengers or railway staff, it severely impacted rail operations. Several trains on the New Delhi Mumbai line, including the Mumbai Jaipur Superfast Express, were detained at various stations while the tracks were being cleared.
Preliminary reports suspect a short circuit as the cause, though senior officials have ordered a comprehensive investigation to ascertain the exact origin of the blaze, railway officials said.
Now, arrangements were being made to attach an additional coach at Kota station to accommodate the rescued passengers for the remainder of their journey.