Lok Sabha Question No. 2230 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-15
Subject: Train Accidents
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: PRATIMA MONDAL, N.K. PREMACHANDRAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2230 TO BE ANSWERED ON 15.03.2017

## TRAIN ACCIDENTS

2230.  SHRIMATI PRATIMA MONDAL: SHRI N.K. PREMACHANDRAN:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  it has come to the notice of the Government that the train accidents  are  increasing  due  to  the  gaps  and  bad  condition  of railway tracks;
- (b) if so, the details  of train accidents during the last two years along with the reasons therefor;
- (c) the  expenditure  incurred  for  the  maintenance  and  replacement  of railway tracks during the last two years;
- (d) the details of the maintenance and replacement of railway tracks in Southern Railway during the last two years;
- (e) the details of the expenditure  for maintenance and replacement of railway tracks  in Thiruvananthapuram division during the last two years; and
- (f) the  available  mechanism  for  repair  and    replacement  of  damaged railway tracks in Thiruvananthapuram division?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

(SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

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

*****

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO  (f) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO.2230  BY  SHRIMATI    PRATIMA  MONDAL  AND  SHRI    N.K. PREMACHANDRAN    TO  BE    ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  15.03.2017 REGARDING TRAIN ACCIDENTS.

(a):    Consequential train  accidents have occurred due to various factors, one of them is track defect. In the current year i.e. 2016-17 from 1 st  April, 2016 to  28 th   February,2017,  the  number  of  consequential  train  accidents have decreased from 100 to 99 as compared to the corresponding period of the  previous  year.  Consequential  train  accidents  on  account  of  track defects  in  the  year  2015-16  were  about  34%  which  has  increased marginally by 06% in the current year 2016-17 which is to be accounted in accordance with increase in traffic density. Broad Causes of consequential train accidents during the last two years and current year are as under:-

| Causes                              |   2014-15 |   2015-16 |   2016-17 |
|-------------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| Failure of railway staff            |        60 |        55 |        64 |
| Failure of other than railway staff |        58 |        38 |        19 |
| Failure of Equipment                |        04 |        02 |        01 |
| Sabotage                            |        03 |        01 |        02 |
| Combination of Factor               |         0 |        01 |        03 |
| Incidental                          |        08 |        09 |        07 |
| Could not be established/Non Held   |        02 |        01 |         0 |
| Under Investigation                 |         0 |         0 |        03 |
| Grand Total                         |       135 |       107 |        99 |

(b): During the last two years i.e. 2014-15, 2015-16 and the current year from 01.04.2016 to 28.02.2017, the number of consequential train accidents on account of track defects are given as under:-

| Year    |   Total Number of Consequential train accidents |   No. of accidents on account of track defect (where engineering department is responsible) |   No. of train accidents where one of the reasons was track defect. (where engineering department is responsible for track defect along with other departments) |   Total |
|---------|-------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------|
| 2014-15 |                                             135 |                                                                                          24 |                                                                                                                                                               8 |      32 |
| 2015-16 |                                             107 |                                                                                          24 |                                                                                                                                                              13 |      37 |
| 2016-17 |                                              99 |                                                                                          35 |                                                                                                                                                               5 |      40 |

Causes  of  the  above  consequential  train  accidents  which  are  on account of engineering department are as under:-

| Causes                              | 2014-15   | 2015-16   | 2016-17   |
|-------------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| Failure of railway staff            | 28        | 33        | 39        |
| Failure of other than railway staff | -         | -         | -         |
| Failure of Equipment                | 04        | 04        | 01        |
| Sabotage                            | -         | -         | -         |
| Combination of Factor               | -         | -         | -         |
| Incidental                          | -         | -         | -         |
| Could not be established/Non Held   | -         | -         | -         |
| Under Investigation                 | -         | -         | -         |
| Grand Total                         | 32        | 37        | 40        |

(c): Allocation  for  'Repairs  and  Maintenance  of  Permanent  Way  and Works'  is  made  under  Revenue  and  'Track  Renewals'  under  Capital segment.

Gross  expenditure incurred under these heads during the last two years for Indian Railways  is given below:-

( ` in crores)

| Year    |   Repairs & Maintenance of Permanent Way & Works |   Track Renewal |
|---------|--------------------------------------------------|-----------------|
| 2014-15 |                                          10281.7 |         5371.55 |
| 2015-16 |                                          10888.3 |         5586.03 |

(d): Maintenance  of  traffic  is  undertaken  as  per  provisions  of  Indian Railway  Permanent  Way  Manual.  The  progress  of  Track  Renewal  i.e. replacement of railway track over Southern Railway during last two years and current year is as under :

| Year    | Achievement (in Km)   |
|---------|-----------------------|
| 2014-15 | 135                   |
| 2015-16 | 187                   |
| 2016-17 | 173 (up to Jan. 2017) |

Gross  expenditure  incurred  for    maintenance  and  replacement  of railway tracks in Southern Railway during last two years is given below:-

( ` in crores)

| Year    |   Repairs & Maintenance of Permanent Way & Works |   Track Renewal |
|---------|--------------------------------------------------|-----------------|
| 2014-15 |                                           667.84 |          317.57 |
| 2015-16 |                                           739.96 |          398.23 |

(e): Details of the   expenditure incurred for  maintenance and replacement of  railway  tracks  in  Thiruvananthapuram  Division  of  Southern  Railway during last two years is given below:-

( ` in crores)

| Year    |   Expenditure for Maintenance and Replacement of Railway Tracks in Thiruvananthapuram Division |
|---------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2014-15 |                                                                                          54.75 |
| 2015-16 |                                                                                          74.13 |

- (f) Wear of track and generation of defects is a normal process due to passing  of  traffic.    The  systematic  maintenance  of  track  is  done  as  per

system  laid  down  in  Indian  Railway  Permanent  Way  Manual  utilizing  the track machines and available man power. Also, track renewal works are undertaken for repair and replacement of railway track as and when stretch of track becomes due for renewal on the basis of criteria laid down in Indian Railway Permanent Way Manual on age-cum-condition basis viz. traffic carried in terms of gross million tonnes and incidence of rail fracture/failure, wear of rails, and maintainability of track as per standards etc.  Track Renewal works are planned in advance every year and execution is prioritized according to the condition of track and  overall  availability  of  funds  ensuring  all  the  time  that  track  is  in  a sound condition for safe running of trains.  Above mechanism is followed in Thiruananthapuram division also. *****