Indian Railways Far from Safe Despite Several Initiatives

Visakhapatnam: Attention riveted to the lack of safety on the Indian Railways following the train mishap at Kantakapalli and Alamanda on the mainline of the Waltair Division.

The Railway data from the 1960-2022 period showed a fluctuating pattern, with a peak of 14,769 accidents in the 1960-1971 period and a notable decline to 449 accidents during the 2015-2022 period. Yet, the recent mishaps, including the huge disaster in Odisha, followed by the accident in Waltair division this year. Stunningly, both have stark similarities.

According to the railway authorities, several factors collectively caused accidents like head-on collisions, derailments and fires. These include human errors, mechanical failures, vandalism, likely sabotage etc.

The CAG's  (Comptroller and Audit General of India) 2022 report highlighted several shortcomings within the Indian Railways system that operates one of the world's largest and busiest rail networks. It noted that the Railways, with more than 21,648 trains serving approximately 22.15 million passengers and carrying 3.32 million tonnes of freight, must concentrate more on safety aspects.

Key factors contributing to rail accidents include poor rolling stock maintenance, a lack of pointsmen and the long working hours of crew members in several railway zones.

Despite the overall decrease in accidents, there have been derailments, level-crossing accidents, and fire mishaps off and on. During 2018-2019, there were 16 deaths and 30 injuries, for which there was a substantial increase in compensation. Some Rs 641 lakh was paid on these counts.

The following year, 2019-2020, there were no rail mishap deaths but there were 93 injuries. The railways paid a compensation of Rs 376 lakh in relation to these mishaps. In 2021-2022, there were nine deaths and 45 injuries. The compensation amounted to Rs 85.88 lakh.

The Indian Railways yearbook data provides valuable insights into the state of rail safety over the years.

Notably, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi took charge in 2014, his government had promised to accord first priority to safety and also to modernise the ageing, largely neglected rail network.

The promised Bullet age is still a far cry. There have been some commendable changes, but the overall rail scenario remains far from impressive.