Lok Sabha Question No. 376 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: Safety measures to reduce Train Accidents
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Dr. Kalanidhi Veeraswamy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 376

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.07.2024

## SAFETY MEASURES TO REDUCE TRAIN ACCIDENTS

376.  DR. KALANIDHI VEERASWAMY:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the  detailed  statistics  on  train  accidents  during  the  last  five years,  categorized  by  type  (derailments,  collisions,  etc.)  and their causes;
- (b) the details of the new safety measures implemented during the last few years to reduce train accidents, item-wise;
- (c) whether  the  Railways  has  leveraged  modern  technology  to enhance safety;
- (d) if so, the details thereof;
- (e) the  current  status  of  Indian  Railways'  emergency  response system to handle major rail accidents;
- (f) the details of the response time of Railways Emergency Rescue Team  to  reach  the  accident  spot  from  time  of  the  accident involving Coromandal Express in Balasore and the Kanchanjunga Express near Chatterhat Railway station in West Bengal;
- (g) whether  the  number  of  cases  of  rail  accidents  is  increasing despite of modern safety measures; and
- (h) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

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

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500

450

400

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

2000-01

473

Consequential Train Accidents

STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (h)  OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO 376 BY DR. KALANIDHI VEERASWAMY TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  24.07.2024  REGARDING SAFETY MEASURES TO REDUCE TRAIN ACCIDENTS 325

(a) to (h): As a consequence of various safety measures taken over the  years,  there  has  been  a  steep  decline  in  the  number  of accidents. Consequential Train Accidents have reduced from 473 in 2000-01 to 40 in 2023-24 as shown in the graph below. 48 35 40

It  may  noted  that  the  consequential  train  accidents  during  the period  2004-14  was  1711  (average  171  per  annum),  which  has declined to 678 during the period 2014-24 (average 68 per annum).

Another important index showing improved safety in train operations  is  Accidents  Per  Million  Train  Kilometer  (APMTKM) which  has  reduced    from  0.65  in  2000-01  to  0.03  in  2023-24, indicating an improvement of more than 95% during the said period.

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Safety  is  accorded  the  highest  priority  on  Indian  Railways.    The various safety measures taken to enhance safety in train operations including those leveraging modern technology are as under:-

1. Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) has been introduced in 2017-18 for replacement/renewal/upgradation of critical safety assets, with a corpus of Rs 1 lakh crores for five years i.e. till 2021-22. In 2022-23, the Govt. extended the currency of RRSK for another period of  five  years  with  Gross  Budgetary  Support  (GBS)  of  Rs 45,000 crores.

| Period             | Allocationin RRSK ( Rs in Cr)   | Expenditurein RRSK( Rs in Cr)   | Remarks                              |
|--------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
| 2017-18 to 2021-22 | 1,00,000                        | 1,08,743                        |                                      |
| 2022-23 to 2026-27 | 45,000                          | 26,702 ( Till 2023-24)          | RRSK extended for another five years |

## Total expenditure on safety works

| Period             | Expenditure on safety works   |
|--------------------|-------------------------------|
| 2004-05 to 2013-14 | 70,273                        |
| 2014-15 to 2023-24 | 1,77,332 ( 2.52 times)        |

2. Electrical/Electronic Interlocking Systems  with  centralized operation  of  points  and  signals  have  been  provided  at  6,589 stations up to 30.06.2024 to eliminate accident due to human failure.
3. Interlocking of Level Crossing (LC) Gates has been provided at 11,048  level  Crossing  Gates  up  to  30.06.2024  for  enhancing safety at LC gates.
4. Complete  Track  Circuiting  of  stations  to  enhance  safety  by verification of track occupancy by electrical means has been provided at 6,609 stations up to 30.06.2024.
5. Kavach is a highly technology intensive system, which requires  safety  certification  of  highest  order.  Kavach  was adopted as a National ATP system in July 2020. Kavach has so far  been  deployed  on  1465  Route  km  and  144  locomotives (including Electric Multiple Unit rakes) on South  Central Railway.  Kavach is provided progressively in phased manner.
6. Axle counters for Automatic clearance of Block Section, BPAC (Block Proving Axle Counter) are provided to ensure complete arrival  of  train  without  manual  intervention  before  granting line clear to receive next train and to reduce human element. These  systems  have  been  provided  on  6079  Block  Sections upto 30.06.2024.
7. A  project  for  provision  of  Long  Term  Evolution  (LTE)  based Mobile Train Radio Communication system has been approved for 34,803 Rkms over Indian Railways.
8. The project  for  provision  of  Tunnel  Communication  has  been taken up in various zonal Railways.
9. Emergency  talk-back  system  and  Emergency  Alarm  Systems have been provided in Vande Bharat Train sets.
10. CCTVs  have  been  provided  in  all  Vande  Bharat  Express coaches.  Till date more than 9572 coaches are equipped with CCTV.
11. Detailed instructions on issues related with safety of Signalling  e.g.  mandatory  correspondence  check,  alteration work  protocol,  preparation  of  completion  drawing,  etc.  have been issued.
12. System of disconnection and reconnection for S&T equipment as per protocol has been re-emphasized.
13. All  locomotives  are  equipped  with  Vigilance  Control  Devices (VCD) to improve alertness of Loco Pilots.
14. Retro-reflective sigma boards are provided on the mast which is  located  two  OHE  masts  prior  to  the  signals  in  electrified territories  to  alert  the  crew  about  the  signal  ahead  when visibility is low due to foggy weather.
15. A GPS based Fog Safety Device (FSD) is provided to loco pilots in  fog  affected  areas  which  enables  loco  pilots  to  know  the distance  of  the  approaching  landmarks  like  signals,  level crossing gates etc.
16. Modern track structure consisting of 60kg, 90 Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) rails,  Prestressed  Concrete  Sleeper  (PSC) Normal/Wide  base  sleepers  with  elastic  fastening,  fanshaped layout turnout on PSC sleepers, Steel Channel/H-beam Sleepers on girder bridges is used while carrying out primary track renewals.
17. Mechanisation  of  track  laying  activity  through  use  of  track machines like PQRS, TRT, T-28 etc to reduce human errors.
18. Maximizing supply of 130m/260m long rail panels for increasing  progress  of  rail  renewal  and  avoiding  welding  of joints, thereby improving safety.
19. Ultrasonic  Flaw  Detection  (USFD)  testing  of  rails  to  detect flaws and timely removal of defective rails.
20. Laying of longer rails, minimizing the use of Alumino Thermic Welding and adoption of better welding technology for rails i.e. Flash Butt Welding.
21. Monitoring  of  track  geometry  by  OMS  (Oscillation  Monitoring System) and TRC (Track Recording Cars).
21. 22.
22. Patrolling of railway tracks to look out for weld/rail fractures.
23. The use of Thick Web Switches and Weldable CMS Crossing in turnout renewal works.
24. Inspections at regular intervals are carried out to monitor and educate staff for observance of safe practices.
25. Web based online monitoring system of track assets viz. Track database  and  decision  support  system  has  been  adopted  to decide  rationalized  maintenance  requirement  and  optimize inputs.
26. Detailed  instructions  on  issues  related  with  safety  of  Track e.g. integrated block, corridor block, worksite safety, monsoon precautions etc. have been issued.
27. Preventive maintenance of railway assets (Coaches & Wagons) is undertaken to ensure safe train operations.
28. Replacement  of  conventional  ICF  design  coaches  with  LHB design coaches is being done.
29. All  unmanned  level  crossings  (UMLCs)  on  Broad  Gauge  (BG) route have been eliminated by January 2019.
30. Safety of Railway Bridges is ensured through regular inspection of Bridges. The requirement of repair/rehabilitation of  Bridges  is  taken  up  based  upon  the  conditions  assessed during these inspections.
31. 31.
32. Indian  Railways  has  displayed  Statutory  'Fire  Notices'  for widespread passenger information in all coaches. Fire posters are  provided  in  every  coach  so  as  to  educate  and  alert passengers regarding various Do's and Don'ts to prevent fire. These include messages regarding not carrying any
33. inflammable material, explosives, prohibition of smoking inside the coaches, penalties etc.
32. Production Units are providing Fire detection and suppression system  in  newly  manufactured  Power  Cars  and  Pantry  Cars, Fire  and  Smoke  detection  system  in  newly  manufactured coaches. Progressive fitment of the same in existing coaches is also underway by Zonal Railways in a phased manner.
33. Regular counselling and training of staff is undertaken.
34. Concept of Rolling Block introduced in Indian Railways (Open Lines) General Rules vide Gazette notification dated 30.11.2023,  wherein  work  of  integrated  maintenance/  repair/ replacement of assets is planned up to 52 weeks in advance on rolling basis and executed as per plan.

## The details of Safety related works undertaken by Railways are tabulated below:-

| SN   | Item                                                          | 2004-05 to 2013-14   | 2014-15 to 2023-24   | 2014-24 vs 2004- 14   |
|------|---------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------|----------------------|-----------------------|
|      | Track Maintenance                                             |                      |                      |                       |
| 1.   | Expenditure on Track Renewal (Rs. in Cr.)                     | 47,018               | 1,09,659             | 2.33 times            |
| 2.   | Rail Renewal Primary (Track Km)                               | 32,260               | 43,335               | 1.34 times            |
| 3.   | Use of high-quality rails (60 Kg) (Km)                        | 57,450               | 1,23,717             | 2.15 times            |
| 4.   | Longer Rail Panels (260m) (Km)                                | 9,917                | 68,233               | 6.88 times            |
| 5.   | USFD (Ultra Sonic Flaw detection) Testing of Rails (Track km) | 20,19,630            | 26,52,291            | 1.31 times            |
| 6.   | USFD (Ultra Sonic Flaw detection) Testing of Welds (Nos.)     | 79,43,940            | 1,73,06,046          | 2.17 times            |
| 7.   | New Track KM added (Track km)                                 | 14,985               | 31,180               | 2.08 times            |
| 8.   | Weld failures (Nos.)                                          | In 2013-14: 3699     | In 2023-24: 481      | 87% reduction         |
| 9.   | Rail fractures (Nos.)                                         | In 2013-14: 2548     | In 2023-24: 383      | 85% reduction         |
| 10   | Thick Web Switches (Nos.)                                     | Nil                  | 21,127               |                       |

| 11   | Track Machines (Nos.)                                                                         | As on 31.03.14 = 748   | As on 31.03.24 = 1,661                           | 122% increase   |
|------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|-----------------|
|      | Level Crossing Gate Elimination                                                               |                        |                                                  |                 |
| 1.   | Elimination of Unmanned Level Crossing Gates (Nos.)                                           | As on 31.03.14: 8948   | As on 31.03.24: Nil (All eliminated by 31.01.19) | 100% reduction  |
| 2.   | Elimination of Manned Level Crossing Gates (Nos.)                                             | 1,137                  | 7,075                                            | 6.21 Times      |
| 3.   | Road over Bridges (RoBs)/ Road under Bridges (RUBs) (Nos.)                                    | 4,148                  | 11,945                                           | 2.88 Times      |
| 4.   | Expenditure on LC Elimination                                                                 | 5,726                  | 36,699                                           | 6.40 Times      |
|      | Bridge Rehabilitation                                                                         |                        |                                                  |                 |
| 1.   | Expenditure on Bridge Rehabilitation (Rs. in Cr.)                                             | 3,919                  | 8,008                                            | 2 Times         |
|      | Signalling Works                                                                              |                        |                                                  |                 |
| 1.   | Electronic Interlocking (Stations)                                                            | 837                    | 2,964                                            | 3.52 times      |
| 2.   | Automatic Block Signaling (Km)                                                                | 1,486                  | 2,497                                            | 1.67 times      |
| 3.   | Fog Pass Safety Devices (Nos.)                                                                | As on 31.03.14: 90     | As on 31.03.24: 19,742                           | 219 times       |
|      | Rolling Stock                                                                                 |                        |                                                  |                 |
| 1.   | Manufacture of LHB Coaches (Nos.)                                                             | 2,337                  | 36,933                                           | 15.80 times     |
| 2.   | Provision of Fire and Smoke Detection System in AC coaches (Nos. of Coaches)                  | 0                      | 19,271                                           |                 |
| 3.   | Provision of Fire Detection and Suppression System in Pantry and Power Cars (Nos. of Coaches) | 0                      | 2,991                                            |                 |
| 4.   | Provision of Fire Extinguishers in Non -AC coaches (Nos. of Coaches)                          | 0                      | 66,840                                           |                 |

|    | Budget allocation                                           | Budget allocation   | Budget allocation   | Budget allocation   |
|----|-------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
|  1 | Gross Budgetary Support for Railway Investment (Rs. in Cr.) | 1,56,739            | 8,25,967            | 5.3 times           |
|  2 | Expenditure on safety related works (Rs. in Cr.)            | 70,273              | 1,77,332            | 2.52 times          |

Indian Railways has well laid down system of emergency preparedness and readiness with well defined protocol in place to respond in case of any accident in a quick and effective manner as under :-

-  In case of major train accidents/incidents, the first response is from  the  railway  staff  on-board  the  train.  They  are  given training in handling such emergencies.
-  Immediately on receipt of information regarding a major train accident,  Indian  Railways  responds  immediately  utilizing  its own setup, equipment, doctors, and staff.
-  Indian  Railways  coordinates  with  the  state  government  and the  district  administration  as  well  as  the  State  and  National Disaster  Response  Forces  to  start  carrying  out  rescue  and relief immediately.
-  The initial focus is on saving lives, attending to the injured and providing succor to stranded passengers, and then to restore traffic movement.
-  Indian  Railways  has  a  network  of  Accident  Relief  Trains (ARTs), High capacity 140T Breakdown diesel-hydraulic cranes and Accident Relief Medical Vans (ARMVs) placed at identified locations which cover the entire rail network.
-  In addition, Portable Medical Kits have also been provided at identified locations to render immediate medical support.
-  Additional equipment like road vehicles, cranes, earthmovers, ambulances etc are also requisitioned from local resources for immediate attention to such accidents.
-  Roles of every officer and staff in case of an accident are laid down  and  they  are  appropriately  trained  and  empowered  to discharge their duties.

The  Railways  response  with  respect  to  relief  and  rescue operation has been very quick and efficient in both the accidents. The  first  Self  Propelled  Accident  Relief  Medical  Van  (SPARMV)  in the  case  of  Coromandal  Express  turned  out  within  the  stipulated response time from Bhadrak. The NDRF and RAF teams also quickly arrived at the site for rescue operations within 2 hours. Similarly, in  the case of Kanchanjunga Express accident, the first  Self  Propelled  Accident  Relief  Medical  Van  (SPARMV)  turned out within the stipulated response time from New Jalpaiguri.  The NDRF and Civil Defence etc. arrived at the site for rescue operations in approx. 2 hours.

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