New Delhi: The fire on the Thiruvananthapuram-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh, on Sunday has again raised concerns over how prepared Delhi’s railway stations are in handling an onboard fire emergency, especially when a train is stationed deep inside a crowded platform or is stranded between stations.Delhi’s four main train hubs —New Delhi Railway Station, Old Delhi Railway Station, Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station and Anand Vihar Terminal —together handle the bulk of long-route operations in the capital.Officials said fire incidents on platforms are largely manageable, although operational challenges remain severe in older stations that were built without modern emergency access planning.Senior railway officials recalled a 2019 blaze at New Delhi Railway Station. A rear power car and luggage van of the Chandigarh-Kochuveli Express caught fire on platform 8 due to a short circuit. Though all the passengers were evacuated and there were no casualties, the incident exposed logistical vulnerabilities within the station’s infrastructure.Officials involved in the firefighting said fire tenders could not directly access the platform because of the station’s layout. Vehicles had to be stationed at a distance, forcing firefighters to use longer hoses through station concourses and crowded entry points before water could reach the burning coach.The operation became complicated because the blaze erupted in the generator car before spreading to a luggage van carrying parcels. Firefighters had to work carefully around electrified overhead equipment lines while also managing heavy passenger movement across adjoining platforms during peak hour. Delhi Fire Services deployed 12 fire tenders.A senior fire department official said firefighting becomes harder when a blaze breaks out on the platforms in the middle, rather than at the edge of a station, such as 1 or 16 in a station like New Delhi. “If the incident is somewhere in between, hose deployment itself consumes crucial time. Ideally, hydrant systems should be installed closer to the middle platforms so that firefighters can immediately plug in and begin operations,” the official said.Officials said the Anand Vihar Terminal, which is relatively newer than the others, offers better emergency vehicle access to platforms.The gravest danger, however, is not at stations but when a train is moving and catches fire. “Wind speed acts like a continuous oxygen supply and can intensify the fire rapidly,” a fire official said.Northern Railway officials said onboard staff are trained to respond quickly in such emergencies. “Our staff are trained to use extinguishers and detach coaches to prevent the spread of fire,” a senior official said.In the Ratlam Rajdhani incident too, railway officials said the assistant operations manager of Lucknow division, Rashida Khatoon, who was travelling as a passenger, and a train guard acted as first responders and helped detach the affected coach from the rake before the fire could spread.Fire officials also pointed to a structural issue that is a challenge during train fires. The materials used inside conventional railway coaches have “higher fire vulnerability compared to systems like Delhi Metro, where non-combustible materials are extensively used,” an official said. Cables and interior fittings should be made more fire-resistant.Among Delhi’s stations, officials said Hazrat Nizamuddin and Old Delhi face added challenges because of encroachment and severe congestion around approach roads. Unauthorised parking by auto-rickshaws, street vendors and traffic bottlenecks often slow emergency vehicle movement, especially near the Sarai Kale Khan side of Nizamuddin station.Officials said challenges are more at Hazrat Nizamuddin because of the intense congestion around the station. The Sarai Kale Khan side and stretches along Mathura Road frequently see traffic bottlenecks caused by haphazard auto-rickshaw parking, idle buses, roadside vendors and encroachments, often narrowing access for emergency vehicles.Fire officials said that during peak hours, even reaching the station can become difficult. “The biggest concern at Nizamuddin is accessibility. Even if the internal response mechanism is ready, delays in vehicle movement outside the station can impact response time,” an official said.Officials added that dense commercial activity around the station creates an evacuation problem.A Northern Railway official said a fire safety system in the Rajdhani coach got activated on May 17, which led to an automatic application of brakes . A safety audit has been started, he said.
