New Delhi: The Union Minister for Railways and Coal Shri Piyush Goyal has reiterated that Railways accord highest priority to safety in train operations. Supportive data shows Consequential train accidents have declined from 195 in 2006-07 to 107 in 2015-16 and further to 104 in 2016-17. In the current financial year 2017-18 also, consequential train accidents decreased from 95 to 65 from 01/04/2017 to 31/01/2018 in comparison to corresponding period of the previous year.
A statement showing type-wise number of consequential train accidents during 2006-07 to 2016
17 and the current year 2017-18 is given below:-
| Type of Accident | 2006-07 | 2007- 08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013
-14 |
2014
-15 |
2015
-16 |
2016-17 |
2017-18 (01/04/17
to 31/01/18) |
| Collision | 8 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Derailments | 96 | 100 | 85 | 80 | 80 | 55 | 49 | 53 | 63 | 65 | 78 | 50 |
| MLC Accidents | 7 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| Fire in Train | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Miscella–neous | 8 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| UMLC accidents | 72 | 65 | 62 | 65 | 48 | 54 | 53 | 47 | 50 | 29 | 20 | 11 |
| Total | 195 | 194 | 177 | 165 | 141 | 131 | 122 | 118 | 135 | 107 | 104 | 65 |
The above figures also include accidents at unmanned level crossings (UMLCs) caused mainly due to negligence of road vehicle users.
Accidents Per Million Train Kilometers, an important index of safety, has come down from 0.23 in 2006-07 to 0.10 in 2015-16 and further to 0.09 in the year 2016-17 despite quantum increase in the volume of traffic carried by Indian Railways over the years. This figure is expected to come down in the current financial year 2017-18 also.
A statement showing broad cause-wise beak-up of consequential train accidents including accidents at unmanned level crossings during 2006-07 to 2016-17 and the current financial year 2017-18 (from 01/04/2017 to 31/01/2018) is given below:
| Causes of Accident | 2006-2007 | 2007-2008 | 2008-2009 | 2009-2010 | 2010-2011 | 2011 – 2012 | 2012-2013 | 2013-2014 | 2014
– 2015 |
2015
– 2016 |
2016
– 2017
|
2017
– 2018 |
| Failure of Railway staff | 85 | 88 | 75 | 63 | 56 | 52 | 46 | 51 | 60 | 55 | 64 | 35 |
| Failure of other than Railway staff | 84 | 81 | 76 | 75 | 57 | 63 | 59 | 57 | 58 | 38 | 22 | 14 |
| Failure of equipment | 9 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Sabotage | 8 | 7 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Combination of factors | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Incidental | 7 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 4 |
| Could not be established/Non- Held | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Under Investigation | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 |
| Grand Total | 195 | 194 | 177 | 165 | 141 | 131 | 122 | 118 | 135 | 107 | 104 | 65 |
Modern technologies that lower reliance on human element and improve efficiency of the system are being adopted. Self Propelled Ultrasonic Rail Testing (SPURTZ Car) is under procurement, Trail of Ultrasonic Broken Rail Detection System is underway. TPWS (Train Protection and Warning System) and TCAS (Train Collision Avoidance System) as means of Automatic Train Protection to prevent accidents due to over speeding & passing signal at danger is being adopted. TPWS System is under implementation at 3330 RKMs section on Suburban/High-density Route. It is planned to install the same on Golden quadrilateral and diagonal route by 2023.
There is no shortage of fund for safety related works. Expenditure on safety 2014-15, ₹42304 cr, in 2015-16 ₹45516 cr, 2016-17 ₹55918 cr and RE of 2017-18 is ₹68725 cr and BE of 2018-19 is ₹73065 cr. An additional allocation of 6.3% has been made in the Budget of 2018-19 as compared to 2017-18.
Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) has been created with a corpus of ₹100000 cr for making additional funds available for safety related works.
- Various essential items like FoBs, Platforms, pathway, track fittings, running rooms, escalators, etc. have been reclassified as safety works and have been made available for funding under RRSK.
- (Unmanned Level Crossings) UMLCs on A, B & C routes have been decided to be closed by MARCH, 2018. Closure of the remaining UMLCs is top priority. In the Gate Mitras are being provided at vulnerable gates. As of November, 2017, all the 4236 numbers of UMLCs gate on Broad Gauge have been provided with Gate Mitra.
- For the first time, a global tender for purchase of rails to alleviate shortage of rails for (Total Rail Replacement) TRR and new works is under process.
