The blaze erupted in the B-1 AC coach near Vikramgarh Alot station in Kota
A major fire broke out in an air-conditioned coach of the Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express near Kota in Rajasthan early Saturday morning, triggering panic among passengers. Railway officials confirmed that all 68 passengers travelling in the affected coach were rescued safely and no injuries were reported.
The incident occurred around 5:15 am near Vikramgarh Alot railway station when flames erupted in the B-1 coach of Train No. 12431 Rajdhani Express, which was travelling from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin station.
Coach detached after fire breaks out
Railway authorities immediately detached the affected coach from the rest of the train as a precautionary measure. The overhead electric supply (OHE) in the area was also switched off to prevent further danger and assist firefighting operations.
Videos from the spot showed massive black smoke rising from the burnt coach, while flames reportedly spread to nearby trees along the railway tracks.
Massive Fire On Delhi-Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express In Kota, Dozens Rescued pic.twitter.com/7RYwraE6yq
— NDTV (@ndtv) May 17, 2026
All passengers rescued safely
Officials said all 68 passengers travelling in the coach were safely evacuated without any injuries.
The Railways arranged for the passengers to continue their journey in alternate coaches until Kota station, where an additional coach would be attached to restore the train’s full capacity.
Railway staff and emergency teams responded swiftly to control the situation and prevent the fire from spreading to other coaches.
Cause of fire under investigation
The exact cause of the blaze has not yet been determined. Railway officials said an investigation has been launched to ascertain how the fire started inside the AC coach.
The Rajdhani Express had departed from Kerala on Friday and had already travelled nearly 2,600 kilometres before the incident occurred around 450 kilometres short of Delhi.
Second train fire incident in two days
The Kota incident comes just a day after another fire was reported in an empty coach of the Hyderabad-Jaipur Special Train at Hyderabad railway station.
In that case too, no passengers were injured as the affected coaches were detached quickly and the fire was brought under control immediately by railway authorities.
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