Most of the passengers in the compartment where the fire broke out were sleeping at the time, and an electrical short-circuit was suspected as the cause, according to local media reports.

India’s train system is the world’s most extensive, but fares are kept so low to accommodate the poor that the government has been unable to invest in repairs. Many trains are in terrible disrepair and many stations are decrepit.

An effort last year by a reformist railway chief to raise fares to pay for needed repairs was reversed immediately, and the official resigned after an outcry followed his announcement.