India has the fourth largest railway network in the world and the largest in Asia with a track of about 70,000 km which caters to more than 3519 million people in a year.

The 170-year-old lifeline for Indians has seen rapid expansion and modernization to boost infrastructure and connectivity in the fast-growing economy. The railway undergoes a 2.4 trillion-rupee transformation with gleaming new and high-speed trains and modern stations.

However, the recent disastrous unforeseen three-train accident in the Balasore district of Odisha with about 288 mortalities and nearly 1000 injuries on 2nd June 2023 comes out to be the third most malignant accident since 1995. The single accident toll is higher than the annual fatalities of the last 16 years. This has raised several questions on the safety preparedness of the Indian Railways.

A Backward Glance

Train accidents having serious repercussions in terms of loss of human life, human injury, loss to Railway property, or interruption to Rail traffic are defined as Consequential Train Accidents. It includes Collisions, Fires, Level crossing accidents, and Derailments. The number of consequential railway accidents has shown a declining trend and the details have been given in Table 1.

Table 1: Indian Railways Recent Safety Records

#Provisional. All figure excludes Konkan Railway

Causes of Railway Accidents in India

• Older and poorly maintained tracks, overspeeding, mechanical failure, and operational errors.

• Failure of the signaling system during the electronic interlocking process.

• Derailment causes like the failure of railway staff in properly examining railway equipment, inadequate maintenance of locomotives, rolling stock defects, rail and weld fractures, tracks, and signals.

• Irregularities in the maintenance of the system.

• Lack of upgraded safety mechanisms such as anti-collision devices and emergency warning systems, electronic interlocking systems.

• Reduced inspections and reviews.

• Lack of safety funds allotment and utilization.

• Deficient staff, inhuman working conditions, inadequately trained workforce. About 3.12 lakh posts (out of 14.75 lakh Group C posts) are vacant among non-gazetted staff and 3018 posts out of 18881 gazetted cadre positions are vacant. This resulted in overwork and stress among Locomotive pilots who are denied leave and rest.

• An increase in the number of high-speed trains without improvement in infrastructure has resulted in short time gaps between trains and even a minor failure of the control system can result in disaster.

• Safety in railways is not yet fully functional across different sections of Indian Railways (IR)- slowest implementation of the latest safety upgrades, engineering works, and infrastructure as compared to increased traffic.

Budget and Funds for Safety

There are three sources of funds for Railways-

• The Railways received ₹2.40 lakh crore in the 2023-24 Union Budget allocation, a 50% increase over the previous fiscal year, to upgrade tracks, ease congestion and add new trains.

• A dedicated non-lapsable reserve fund with a corpus of ₹1 lakh crore (Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh Fund) validity has also extended for another 5 years from FY 2022-23.

• Over Rs 1.7 lakh crore has been spent by the national transporter in the last nine years for safety-related works.

• However, according to a Parliamentary Standing Committee report in March 2023, the funds were not allotted adequately for track renewal works, there was improper utilization of funds and the overall expenditure on Priority-I works from RRSK shows a declining trend.

• In FY24, the funds for track renewal reduced to 7.2%, and for signaling remained at 1.7%. The complete track renewal (CTR) works of selected divisions failed to achieve targets due to supply issues.

• According to a White Paper by the Ministry, 4500 km of tracks should be renewed annually and the target set by IR is much lower, but this was also not achieved in the last seven years except one year.

• Privatization of Railways:

  •  About Rs. 30,000 crores will be invested by the private sector in the privatization of the railways project initiated by IR. The IR requires a fund of Rs. 50 lakh crore for the next 12 years for this purpose and the concession period is 35 years.

  • Although a majority of trains will be manufactured under Make in India scheme, the project seems more like a double-edged sword. It may serve the need to improve infrastructure and operational works and fulfill the soaring demands, but employee security, passenger benefits, and quality of operational services may be at risk.

Railway Safety Initiatives by the Government of India

• Integrated Railways Safety Management System (IRSMS) integrates various safety-related functions, including train operation, maintenance, and infrastructure management.

• Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) is a train safety system that automatically applies brakes if a train exceeds a pre-set speed limit or violates signal norms.

• The dedicated fund of Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) aims to eliminate unmanned level crossings, strengthen track and bridge safety, and improve signaling systems.

• Elimination of unmanned level crossings, which are accident-prone by IR, and replace them with either road overbridges or underpasses.

• Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) Coaches have newer anti-collision technology, disc-brakes, and center buffer coupling system (absorbing high impacts and preventing flipping of coaches post impact). The production units have manufactured 4,175 LHB coaches in FY 2022–2023.

• Automatic Train Protection (ATP) System, linked with satellites like Kavach (Traffic Collision Avoidance System) is being implemented in a phased manner. The locomotives, signaling systems, and tracks are installed with electronic devices and Radio Frequency Identification devices. Emergency braking, continuous speed monitoring, overspeed protection, and safer train operations are some of the features. Around 1,445 kilometers of track have been installed with Kavach.

• The IR conducts safety audits and inspections to identify potential safety hazards and take corrective measures.

• Advanced signaling systems like the European Train Control System (ETCS) improve train control and enables real-time monitoring and communication between trains and control centers. Computer-based Centralised Traffic Control Systems are established to manage rail traffic at multiple stations in real time.

• Panel Interlocking, Route Relay Interlocking, and Electronic Interlocking System, along with Multi-Aspect Light Signals for clear visibility in all weather conditions. Electronic Interlocking is a signaling apparatus that uses sensors and feedback devices that prevents conflicting movements between trains by controlling and coordinating the signals and tracks.

Artificial Intelligence in Railway Safety

Investment in Artificial Intelligence and data analytics to improve operational efficiency is a future for rail safety in India.

Way forward

Railways have played a crucial role in India’s social and economic development and their services are the backbone of Indian economy. However, the current focus is adding new high-speed trains for which safety has been tremendously compromised. There is no doubt that safety indicators of railways have shown marked improvement over the years but the deadly impact of a single incident has a grievous effect on the lives of so many passengers and their families.

References

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3. Kumar, R. (2023) Amid declining accident rates, Odisha train tragedy throws light on rail safety concerns, News18. Available at: https://www.news18.com/india/amid-declining-accident-rates-odisha-train-tragedy-throws-light-on-rail-safety-concerns-7992691.html (Accessed: 27 June 2023).

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13. Goyal, S. (2020) “Privatisation of Indian Railways: All you need to know,” Jagranjosh.com, 29 July. Available at: https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/privatisation-of-indian-railways-1596023830-1.

14. Singh, B.K. and Singh, B.K. (2023) “Balasore Accident & Indian Railways: A Chequered System That Compromises Safety,” TheQuint, 5 June. Available at: https://www.thequint.com/opinion/balasore-accident-indian-railways-a-chequered-system-that-compromises-safety#read-more.