Vande Bharat Express trains have very good fire safety arrangements: Railway Board chairman

Railway Board Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti has allayed fears about fire safety in Vande Bharat Express trains, saying these semi-high-speed trains have "very good" arrangements on this front.

Lahoti was talking to reporters in Indore on Sunday, days after a blaze erupted in the battery box of a coach of the Vande Bharat train heading from Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal to New Delhi. No one was injured in the incident which occurred on July 17.

"There are no concerns regarding the safety of passengers in the Vande Bharat trains. There are also very good arrangements for fire prevention in these trains," Lahoti said.

The fire that broke out in the Bhopal-Delhi Vande Bharat train was confined to the battery box only. As good safety arrangements were in place, the blaze was extinguished before it could spread, he said.

Asked about the Indore-Bhopal Vande Bharat train finding a few takers, Lahoti said they were taking a review of the issue and would find a solution.

The ticket fares of these trains were uniform across the country, he said, adding the seat occupancy in them was more than 95 per cent.

Lahoti was here to attend a meeting convened to review the rail projects in and around Indore.