With Record Track Renewal, Indian Railways Registers Its Best Safety Figures In Five Years

With the number of accidents and deaths coming down to 75 and 40 respectively, the Indian Railways has registered its best safety record in five years between September 2017 and August 2018, the Times of India has reported.

In comparison, there were 80 train accidents and 249 fatalities between September 2016 and August 2017. In the same period in 2014-2015, the number was 196 deaths in 108 accidents. Between September 2013 and August 2014, at least 275 deaths were reported in 139 accidents across the country.

"Comparing the figures of the period between September 1, 2013 to August 31, 2014 to that of the number between September 1, 2017 to August 31, 2018, the fatality figures in collisions and derailments (whose causes the railways can address, according to the official) taken together have come down from 62 to 4 -- a 93 per cent reduction," the Times of India quoted an official as saying.

“Whereas injury figures in collision and derailment came down from 272 to 12 (95.6 per cent reduction). The total number of collision and derailments have come down from 69 to 56 during this period," the official added.

"Better tracks, replacement of existing coaches with LHB ones and more focus on maintenance in the last four years have resulted in fewer accidents due to technical reasons," he told the Press Trust of India.

The vast reduction in injuries and fatalities happened primarily because of the massive renewal of tracks, regular safety reviews, better safety training of staff and close monitoring of safety performance undertaken during the period. According to this report, the Railways carried out renewal of 4,405 km of old tracks with new rails in 2017-18 - the highest ever in a financial year.

In the past few years, the Railways has aggressively undertaken the removal of unmanned level crossings (UMLCs). In 2017-18, the national transporter removed over 1,560 such crossings, which resulted in fewer accidents. It has set the target of removing 1,600 UMLCs in 2018-19, the official said.

The number of accidents at unmanned crossings have come down to just eight in this period. Between September 2013 and August 2014, the number was 52, the number stood at 39 in the same period in 2014-15, 23 in 2015-16, and 13 in 2016-17, the daily’s report said, citing officials.