A. K. Khandelwal
Indians are safer on the railways than ever before, thanks to the well-thought-out initiatives of the past decade that have delivered significant results. This is particularly commendable given that no country transports more people by rail than India, which records over 1 lakh crore Passenger Kilometers (PKM) and around 685 crore passengers annually. The feat is unparalleled, even by our neighbour China, which transports roughly half as many passengers (around 300 crore annually) despite its more extensive rail network and a comparable population size.
The remarkable improvements in safety are evidenced by a steep fall in the number of consequential train accidents – a key metric to identify serious incidents – declining from 473 in 2000-01 to just 40 in 2023-24. This progress is through focused efforts to improve tracks, eliminate unmanned level crossings, regularly monitor the health of bridges, and digitise stations, among others.
These achievements become even more impressive when considering the number of passengers and the track length involved. On an average day, over 2 crore people travel across an expansive 70,000 Route Kilometer (RKM) – long network. This number reaches 3 crore per day in peak season, creating yet another world record!
This effectively means that India safely transports nearly 2% of its population on railways each day, compared to only 0.58% in China and 0.09% in the United States. For Indian Railways, the safety of passengers is a top priority, this is underscored by over Rs. 1 lakh crore investments in safety-related projects in 2023-24 , with plans for even greater spending in the current fiscal year. This will mean improved maintenance of trains, bridges, tracks, and signaling systems, as well as improved road safety near tracks through the construction of over- and under- bridges.
The Number of Accident per Million Train Kilometer (APMTK), an index of railway safety performance, has decreased from 0.65 in 2000-01 to 0.03 in 2023-24.This is attributable to enhanced track maintenance using modern, state-of-the-art track maintenance and renewal machines, improved track flaw detection, curbing rail weld failures, and a host of additional measures, including advanced technology to minimize human errors. Indian Railways has significantly increased the deployment of modern track maintenance machines, raising it to 1,667 compared to just 700 in use up to 2013-14, to improve track upkeep. Additionally, rail grinding has been implemented across the entire network to further enhance asset reliability. Furthermore, continuous track patrolling is undertaken to deter miscreant activities and address issues like vandalism, tampering with tracks, and placing foreign objects on the tracks, all of which pose serious safety risks to train operations. A mix of technological interventions and targeted training has been adopted to sustain and improve these outcomes. One cornerstone of this initiative is the increase in the number of GPS-based Fog Pass devices to loco pilots to help navigate fog-prone areas; they now number 21,742, compared to just 90 in 2014-15. Vigilance Control Devices (VCDs) have also been installed in all locomotives to boost pilot alertness, increasing from less than 10,000 in 2013-14 to 16,021 currently. Advanced Signaling Systems, such as Panel Interlocking, Route Relay Interlocking, and Electronic Interlocking have been provided at 6,575 stations out of 6,637 stations on broad-gauge routes. In addition, loco-pilots now undergo simulator-based training (simulating field experience) to enhance driving skills and reaction times, while front line staff receive training in fire-fighting and use of fire extinguishers. Overall, over 6 lakh Railway employees underwent various types of training, initial, promotional, refresher, and specialized, among others, during 2023-24. Beyond human safety, Indian Railways is also addressing wildlife and livestock protection by erecting 6,433 kilometers of fencing along tracks in 2024-25, with 1,396 kilometers completed as of August 2024, significantly reducing cattle collisions on these routes. To supplement these measures, there has also been a shift to LHB coaches, which have superior crash-worthy features, reducing chances of derailments and injury to occupants. These coaches, designed to avoid climbing over each other in a collision, are built for safe operation at speeds up to 160 kilometers per hour. Production has increased substantially, with 4,977 LHB coaches manufactured in 2023-24, more than double the 2,467 produced in 2013-14. Indian Railways has become safer for travel than ever before.
(The author is Retired Member Infra Railway Board, Ex-Officio Secretary, Government of India).