Make train journeys safe: PM to railway officials after derailment

Agra: On a day when over 100 people were killed in the worst rail accident in recent years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked railways to work towards achieving the zero accident target to make train journeys safe.

The derailment of the Indore-Patna Express at Kanpur dehat will be probed, said the Prime Minister at the Rail Vikas Shivir (rail development camp) at Surajkund on the outskirts of Delhi where he along with railwaymen observed two-minute silence to condole the loss of lives.

Describing the accident as "unfortunate", Modi asked railway officials to ensure fool-proof system in train operation to achieve zero-accident target, according to sources present at the Shivir.

Later addressing a rally at Agra, Modi expressed his concern and sympathy for those killed and injured in the tragedy, which is the worst rail accident in recent years. He said the accident will be probed.

The Prime Minister, who spent more than two hours at the Rail Vikas Shivir, was given thematic presentations on various aspects of the railways, and later addressed the railway officers.

He also visited the gallery created for showcasing railways' new initiatives.

Night vision camera developed by the railways to help loco pilots, a new faster and lighter mode of transportation called Caterpillar train, water vending machines, food box to keep food hot at rail premises, green initiatives like harnessing solar and wind energy were among those exhibited at the gallery.

The three-day Shivir, organised to generate innovative yet practical ideas in the most crucial areas of rail operations and chart out a roadmap for substantial progress of the sector, concluded on Sunday.

On the opening day, Modi had addressed railway employees via video conferencing and said the Indian Railways should transform with the change of the century and focus on "new speeds, progress and new capacity" along with gaining financial strength.

The venue at Surajkund was divided into various areas named after iconic trains services like Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, Humsafar, Tejas, Gatimaan, Uday, Antyodaya and Jan Shatabdi.

Making Indian Railways the preferred freight carrier in India, reducing the operational cost, improving non-tariff revenue and increasing the investment in rail infrastructure substantially were among the other issues were taken up during the event though the accident cast a spell on the participants, according to sources.