Daijiworld Media Network - Kota

Kota, May 17: A major fire broke out in an air-conditioned coach of the Rajdhani Express early Sunday morning near Vikramgarh Alot railway station in Rajasthan’s Kota region, prompting swift evacuation of passengers. Officials confirmed that no casualties were reported.

The incident occurred around 5:15 a.m. in coach B-1, which was carrying 68 passengers en route to New Delhi. The train was part of the service operating as Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express.

Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel and onboard staff immediately began evacuating passengers, clearing the affected coach within approximately 15 minutes. As a precautionary measure, nearby coaches were also evacuated to ensure passenger safety.

Teams from the Kota Railway Division were quickly dispatched to the site following the alert. Officials later detached the affected coach from the rest of the train and shut down the overhead electric supply (OHE) to prevent further risk.

A senior Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) confirmed that all passengers were safe and no injuries or fatalities were reported. Arrangements were made to shift passengers to other coaches to continue their journey up to Kota.

Authorities said the exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined and an investigation is underway.

Emergency contact numbers were also issued for passengers and assistance along the Luni Richha–Vikramgarh Alot railway section, as part of precautionary response measures.

The train had departed from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala on Friday and was scheduled to reach Hazrat Nizamuddin station in New Delhi later in the day.

The incident comes days after a similar fire was reported on May 15 in two AC coaches of the Hyderabad–Jaipur Special Express at Nampally railway station, raising renewed concerns over railway coach safety.