Lok Sabha Question No. 5074 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: Railway Accidents due to Human Errors
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: GOPAL CHINAYYA SHETTY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5074 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.04.2017

## RAILWAY ACCIDENTS DUE TO HUMAN ERRORS

†5074.   SHRI GOPAL SHETTY:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of rail accidents that took place due to human errors during the last three years;
- (b) the details of loss of life and property suffered in these accidents;
- (c) whether the Government has started using anti-collision devices to check such accidents;
- (d) if  so,  the  names  of  zones  where  it  is  being  used  and  if  not,  the reasons therefor; and
- (e) whether in spite of that the railways has not made any significant recruitment  for  railway  security  staff and  if  so,  the  reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

(SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

- (a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

*****

STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO  5074  BY  SHRI  GOPAL  SHETTY  TO  BE ANSWERED  IN LOK SABHA ON 05.04.2017 REGARDING RAILWAY ACCIDENTS DUE TO HUMAN ERRORS

(a) & (b): Number of consequential train accidents on account of human negligence (including the accidents at unmanned level crossings caused due to negligence of road vehicle users) and fatalities therein from 201314 to 2015-16 and in the current year from 1 st  April, 2016 to 28 th  February, 2017 are as under:-

| Years    |   Total consequential train Accidents |   Accidents due to Human Negligence* |   Total persons Killed |   Persons killed on account of accidents due to Human error | Cost of Damage (in Crore)   |
|----------|---------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|
| 2013-14  |                                   118 |                                  108 |                    152 |                                                         151 | ` 38.01                     |
| 2014-15  |                                   135 |                                  118 |                    292 |                                                         250 | ` 72.07                     |
| 2015-16  |                                   107 |                                   93 |                    122 |                                                          90 | ` 45.24                     |
| 2016-17* |                                    99 |                                   83 |                    235 |                                                         235 | ` 59.06                     |

(c) & (d): Yes, Madam.  Indian Railways have planned for Automatic Train Protection  (ATP)  Systems  to  avoid  collision  due  to  human  error.  The details  of  the  ATP  projects  have  been  taken  up  on  Indian  Railways  as

- under:-
- (i) Train  Protection  and  Warning  System  (TPWS):  TPWS  is  based  on proven European Train Control System (ETCS-L1) Technology for mitigating  safety  risk  arising  due  to  driver's  error  of  Signal  Passing  at

Danger (SPAD) or over speeding,  which  may  lead  to  collision.  TPWS  is functional on:-

-  Chennai  to  Gummidipundi  (50  RKM)  and  Chennai  (Basin  Bridge)  to Arakkonam (67 RKM) on Suburban section of Southern Railway.
-  Non Suburban section of Delhi to Agra (200 RKM) of Northern Railway and  on  Kolkata  Metro  from  Kavi  Subhash  to  Dumdum  (25  RKM) section.
-  Further  TPWS  works  have  been  sanctioned  on  3330  RKM.  In  first phase,  work  on  suburban  sections  (1244  RKM)  on  Eastern,  South Eastern,  Northern,  Southern  and  South  Central  Railways  have  been taken  up  for  implementation.  In  Phase  II,  implementation  of  the balance  sanctioned  works  of  TPWS  on  2086  RKM  on  High  Density Network (HDN)-1/HDN-2/HDN-3 Routes is also being taken up.
- (ii) Train  Collision  Avoidance  System  (TCAS):  Research  Design  and Standards  Organization  (RDSO)  in  association  with  Indian  Vendors  has taken up a pilot project for indigenous development of a cost effective safety  system  called  Train  Collision  Avoidance  System  (TCAS).    TCAS deploys  radio  communication  for  transmission  of  movement  authority from  track  side  to  the  Locomotive.  This  system  is  aimed  at  providing capability of preventing train accidents caused due to Signal Passing at Danger  (SPAD)  or  over  speeding  by  train  drivers.    The  system  has  a feature   of reflecting signal aspect in the locomotive cab.

After  successful  Proof  of  Concept trials of TCAS, RDSO has taken up  extended  field  trials  of  TCAS  on  a  pilot  section  Lingamapalli  Vikarabad-Wadi-Bidar (250 Route km) section of South Central Railway. After completion of all field works, equipment deployment trials on seven pairs of passenger trains have already commenced. Safety validation of the system has also been taken up by Independent Safety Assessor (ISA).

Further implementation of TCAS is planned after successful conclusion  of  the  extended  field  trials  and  safety  validation  of  system. During  2017-18,  work  of  TCAS  system  at  1427  RKM  has  also  been sanctioned. (e):  Recruitment in RPF is an ongoing process.  As and when vacancies arise due to retirement, promotion, death, voluntary retirement, resignation  etc., the same  are  filled  through  direct  recruitment  or promotions from time to time.  511 Sub-Inspectors and 16388 Constables in RPF/RPSF have been recruited on Indian Railways in the year 2013-14 and 2014-15 respectively. *****