Lok Sabha Question No. 378 (STARRED), answered on 2026-03-18
Subject: Safety Audit of Railway Infrastructure
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Dr. Kalanidhi Veeraswamy

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## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 378 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.03.2026

## SAFETY AUDIT OF RAILWAY INFRASTRUCTURE

## *378. DR. KALANIDHI VEERASWAMY:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has undertaken a comprehensive safety audit of  railway  infrastructure  including  tracks,  signalling  systems,  bridges and rolling stock alongside ongoing modernisation initiatives;
- (b) if so, the total allocation made towards passenger safety measures in the current and five previous financial years;
- (c) whether the Government proposes to prioritise upgradation of existing tracks, implementation of automatic train protection systems such as Kavach,  elimination  of  unmanned  level  crossings  and  recruitment  of safety-critical staff before undertaking further expansion and modernisation projects and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) the details of accidents reported during the last three years along with action taken reports and accountability fixed, zone-wise;
- (e) whether the Government has conducted an independent review to assess that  the  pace  of  modernisation  is  aligned  with  passenger  safety preparedness and if so, the details thereof; and
- (f) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to ensure that passenger safety  remains  the  foremost  priority  amid  rapid  technological  and infrastructural modernisation of the Railways?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

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

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STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (f)  OF  STARRED QUESTION NO.378 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.03.2026 IN LOK SABHA

(a) to (f): Safety is accorded the highest priority on Indian Railways. Regular Safety Inspections of Track, OHE, Signalling assets, Rolling stock, etc are carried out by designated officials and necessary action is taken accordingly. As a consequence of various safety measures taken over the years, there has been a steep decline in the number of accidents.

## Number of Consequential Train Accidents has reduced as shown in the table below: -

| Year                      | Consequential Accidents   |
|---------------------------|---------------------------|
| 2014-15                   | 135                       |
| 2025-26 (upto 28.02.2026) | 14 (90% lesser)           |

Another important index showing improvement in safety in train operations is Consequential Accident Index, the details of which are as under:-

Consequential Accident Index:-

| Year    | Accident Index    |
|---------|-------------------|
| 2014-15 | 0.11              |
| 2024-25 | 0.03 (73% lesser) |

This index measures number of consequential accidents as a ratio of total running kilometers of all trains.

Accident Index   =

No. of consequential accidents

## No. of trains X million kilometers run

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The various safety measures taken to enhance safety in train operations are as under:-

1. On  Indian  Railways,  the  expenditure  on  Safety  related  activities  has increased over the years as under:-
2. Electrical/Electronic Interlocking Systems with centralized operation of points and signals have been provided at 6,665 stations up to 28.02.2026 to reduce accidents due to human failure.
3. Interlocking of Level Crossing (LC) Gates has been provided at 10,153 Level Crossing Gates up to 28.02.2026 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  6,669 stations up to 28.02.2026.
5. 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.
6. System of disconnection and reconnection for S&T equipment as per protocol has been re-emphasized.
7. All locomotives are equipped with Vigilance Control Devices (VCD) to improve alertness of Loco Pilots.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. Modern track structure consisting of 60kg, 90 Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS)  rails,  Prestressed  Concrete  Sleeper  (PSC)  Normal/Wide  base sleepers  with  elastic  fastening,  fan  shaped  layout  turnout  on  PSC sleepers,  Steel  Channel/H-beam  Sleepers  on  girder  bridges  is  used while carrying out primary track renewals.
11. Mechanisation of track laying activity through use of track machines like PQRS, TRT, T-28 etc. to reduce human errors.
12. Maximizing  supply  of  130m/260m  long  rail  panels  for  increasing progress  of  rail  renewal  and  avoiding  welding  of  joints,  thereby improving safety.
13. Ultrasonic Flaw Detection (USFD) testing of rails to detect flaws and timely removal of defective rails.
14. Laying of longer rails, minimizing the use of Alumino Thermic Welding and  adoption  of  better  welding  technology  for  rails  i.e.,  Flash  Butt Welding.
15. Monitoring of track geometry by OMS (Oscillation Monitoring System) and TRC (Track Recording Cars).
16. Patrolling of railway tracks to look out for weld/rail fractures.
17. The use of Thick Web Switches and Weldable CMS Crossing in turnout renewal works.
18. Inspections at regular intervals are carried out to monitor and educate staff for observance of safe practices.
19. 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.
20. Detailed  instructions  on  issues  related  with  safety  of  Track,  e.g. integrated block, corridor block, worksite safety, monsoon precautions, etc. have been issued.
21. Preventive  maintenance  of  railway  assets  (Coaches  &  Wagons)  is undertaken to ensure safe train operations.
22. Replacement  of  conventional  ICF  design  coaches  with  LHB  design coaches is being done.
23. All unmanned level crossings (UMLCs) on Broad Gauge (BG) route have been eliminated by January 2019.
24. 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.
25. 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 inflammable material, explosives, prohibition of smoking inside the coaches, penalties etc.
26. 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
27. of the same in existing coaches is also underway by Zonal Railways in a phased manner.
27. Regular counselling and training of staff is undertaken.
28. 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.

| Expenditure/Budget on Safety related activities (Rs. in Cr.)   | Expenditure/Budget on Safety related activities (Rs. in Cr.)   | Expenditure/Budget on Safety related activities (Rs. in Cr.)   | Expenditure/Budget on Safety related activities (Rs. in Cr.)   | Expenditure/Budget on Safety related activities (Rs. in Cr.)   | Expenditure/Budget on Safety related activities (Rs. in Cr.)   |
|----------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2013-14                                                        | 2022-23                                                        | 2023-24                                                        | 2024-25                                                        | 2025-26                                                        | 2026-27                                                        |
| 39,200                                                         | 87,336                                                         | 1,01,662                                                       | 1,14,022                                                       | 1,17,693                                                       | 1,20,389                                                       |

The details of the Safety related works related to better maintenance practices,  Technological  improvements,  better  infrastructure  and  rolling stock etc. undertaken by Railways are tabulated below:-

| S.N.                         | Item                                                      | 2004-05 to 2013-14           | 2014-15 to 2024- 25          | 2014-25 Vs. 2004-14          |
|------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|
| Technological Improvements   | Technological Improvements                                | Technological Improvements   | Technological Improvements   | Technological Improvements   |
| 1.                           | Use of high-quality rails (60 Kg) (Km)                    | 57,450 Km                    | 1.43 Lakh Km                 | More than 2 times            |
| 2.                           | Longer Rail Panels (260m) (Km)                            | 9,917 Km                     | 77,522 Km                    | Nearly 8 times               |
| 3.                           | Electronic Interlocking (Stations)                        | 837 Stations                 | 3,691 Stations               | More than 4 times            |
| 4.                           | Fog Pass Safety Devices (Nos.)                            | As on 31.03.14: 90 Nos.      | As on 31.03.25: 25,939 Nos.  | 288 times                    |
| 5.                           | Thick Web Switches (Nos.)                                 | Nil                          | 28,301 Nos.                  |                              |
| Better Maintenance Practices | Better Maintenance Practices                              | Better Maintenance Practices | Better Maintenance Practices | Better Maintenance Practices |
| 1.                           | Primary Rail Renewal (Track Km)                           | 32,260 Km                    | 49,941 Km                    | 1.5 times                    |
| 2.                           | USFD (Ultra Sonic Flaw detection) Testing of Welds (Nos.) | 79.43 Lakh                   | 2 Crore                      | More than 2 times            |
| 3.                           | Weld failures (Nos.)                                      | In 2013-14: 3699 Nos.        | In 2024-25: 370 Nos.         | 90 % reduction               |

| 4.                           | Rail fractures (Nos.)                     | In 2013-14: 2548 Nos.        | In 2024-25: 289 Nos.                            | More than 88% reduction      |
|------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|------------------------------|
| Better Maintenance Practices | Better Maintenance Practices              | Better Maintenance Practices | Better Maintenance Practices                    | Better Maintenance Practices |
| 1.                           | New Track KM added (Track Km)             | 14,985 Km                    | 34,428 Km                                       | More than 2 times            |
| 2.                           | Flyovers (RoBs)/Underpasses (RUBs) (Nos.) | 4,148 Nos.                   | 13,808 Nos.                                     | More than 3 times            |
| 3.                           | Unmanned Level crossings (Nos.) on BG     | As on 31.03.14: 8,948        | As on 31.03.24:Nil (All eliminated by 31.01.19) | Removed                      |
| 4.                           | Manufacture of LHB Coaches (Nos.)         | 2,337 Nos.                   | 42,677                                          | More than 18 times           |

## Implementation of Kavach:

1. Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system. Kavach is a highly technology intensive system, which requires safety certification of highest order (SIL-4).
2. Kavach aids the Loco Pilot in running of trains within specified speed limits by automatic application of brakes in case Loco Pilot fails to do so and also helps the trains to run safely during inclement weather.
3. The first  field  trials  on  the  passenger  trains  were  started  in  February 2016. Based on the experience gained and Independent Safety Assessment of the system by Independent Safety Assessor (ISA), three firms were approved in 2018-19, for supply of Kavach Ver 3.2.
4. Kavach was adopted as National ATP system in July, 2020.
5. Implementation of Kavach System involves following Key Activities:
- a. Installation  of  Station  Kavach  at  each  and  every  station,  block section.
- b. Installation of RFID Tags throughout the track length.
- c. Installation of telecom Towers throughout the section.
- d. Laying of Optical Fibre Cable along the track.
- e. Provision of Loco Kavach on each and every Locomotive running on Indian Railways.
6. Based  on  deployment  of  Kavach  version  3.2  on  1465  RKm  on  South Central  Railway  and  experience  gained,  further  improvements  were made. Finally, Kavach specification version 4.0 was approved by RDSO on 16.07.2024.
7. Kavach version 4.0 covers all the major features required for the diverse railway  network.  This  is  a  significant  milestone  in  safety  for  Indian Railways.  Within  a  short  period,  IR  has  developed,  tested  and  started deploying Automatic Train Protection System.
8. Major improvement in Version 4.0 includes increased Location Accuracy, Improved Information of Signal Aspects in bigger yards, Station to Station Kavach  interface  on  OFC  and  Direct  Interface  to  existing  Electronic Interlocking  System.  With  these  improvements,  Kavach  Ver.4.0.  is planned for large scale deployment over Indian Railways.
9. After  extensive  and  elaborate  trials,  Kavach  Version  4.0  has  been successfully commissioned on 1452 Route Kilometres, covering the highdensity Delhi- Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah routes as below:
10. Further, track side Kavach implementation work has been taken up on 24,427 RKM covering all GQ, GD, HDN and identified sections of Indian Railways.
11. Progress of key items of Kavach on High density routes including DelhiMumbai & Delhi- Howrah corridors as on 14.03.26 are as under:
12. In  addition,  work  for  installation of  Kavach in 8979 Locomotives and 1200 EMU / MEMU has been taken up.
13. Specialized  training  programmes  on  Kavach  are  being  conducted  at centralized training institutes of Indian Railways to impart training to all concerned officials. By now more than 55,000 technicians, operators and engineers have been trained on Kavach technology. This includes about 47,500 Loco Pilots & Assistant Loco Pilots. Courses have been designed in collaboration with IRISET.
14. The  cost  for  provision  of  Track  Side  including  Station  equipment  of Kavach  is  approximately  Rs.50  Lakhs/Km  and  cost  for  provision  of Kavach equipment on locomotives is approximately Rs.80 Lakh/Loco.
15. The funds utilized on Kavach works so far up to Feb'26 is Rs. 2,763.90 Crores. The allocation of funds during the year 2025-26 is Rs. 1,673.19 Crores. Requisite funds are made available as per the progress of works.

| SN   | Section                                           | Progress (Route Km)   |
|------|---------------------------------------------------|-----------------------|
| (1)  | Delhi-Mumbai route:                               | Delhi-Mumbai route:   |
| i    | Junction cabin - Palwal - Mathura - Nagda section | 667                   |
| ii   | Vadodara - Ahmedabad section                      | 96                    |
| iii  | Vadodara - Virar section                          | 336                   |
| (2)  | Delhi - Howrah route:                             | Delhi - Howrah route: |
| i    | Gaya Sarmatanr section                            | 93                    |
| ii   | Chota Ambana - Bardhaman - Howrah section         | 260                   |

| SN   | Item                                 | Progress     |
|------|--------------------------------------|--------------|
| i    | Laying of Optical Fibre Cable        | 8570 Km      |
| ii   | Installation of Telecom Towers       | 1100 nos     |
| iii  | Station Data Centre                  | 767 stations |
| iv   | Installation of Track side equipment | 6776 RKm     |
| v    | Provision of Kavach in Loco          | 4211 nos     |

Recruitment  done  in  Indian  Railways  during  2004-05  to  2013-14  vis-à-vis during 2014-15 to 2025-26 is given as under: -

| Period                 | Recruitments   |
|------------------------|----------------|
| 2004-2005 to 2013-2014 | 4.11 lakh      |
| 2014-2015 to 2024-2025 | 5.08 lakh      |
| 2025-26 till date      | 41,343         |

Occurrence and filling up of vacancies are continuous processes on Indian Railways considering its size, spatial distribution and criticality of operation. Adequate  and  suitable manpower is  provided  to  cater  to the regular operations, changes in technology, mechanisations and innovative practices. The vacancies are filled up primarily by placement of indents by Railways with Recruitment agencies as per operational and technological requirements.

The RRB examinations are quite technical in nature entailing large scale mobilization  of  men  and  resources  and  training  of manpower.  Railway overcame all these challenges and successfully conducted the recruitment in a transparent manner following all laid down guidelines. No instance of paper leakage or similar malpractice has occurred during the entire process.

Further, as system improvement, the Ministry of Railways has introduced a system  of  publishing  the  annual  calendar  from  2024  for  recruitment  to various categories of Group 'C' posts. The introduction of the annual calendar is benefitting the aspirants in the following manner:

-  More opportunities for candidates;
-  Opportunities to those becoming eligible every year;
-  Certainty of exams;
-  Faster Recruitment process, Training and Appointments

Presently, recruitment against 1,43,086 vacancies of nongazetted personnel has been taken up on Indian Railways as per Annual Calendar 2024 and 2025.

During January to December 2024, ten Centralized Employment Notifications (CENs) for 92,116vacancies were notified for filling up of posts of Assistant Loco Pilots (ALPs), Technicians, Sub-Inspectors, Constables in Railway  Protection  Force  (RPF),  Junior  Engineers  (JEs)/  Depot  Material Superintendent (DMS)/ Chemical & Metallurgical Assistant (CMA), Paramedical Categories, Non-Technical Popular Categories (Graduate), NonTechnical  Popular  Categories  (Under-Graduate),  Ministerial  &  Isolated Categories  and  Level-1  categories  such  as  Assistants,  Track  Maintainers and Pointsman.

First stage/Single stage Computer Based Tests (CBTs) for 92,116 posts have been completed.  Details are as under: -

| Exam                                                                                   | Candidates   | Cities   | Languages   |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------|----------|-------------|
| 1 st Stage CBT for the post of ALP (18,799 vacancies)                                  | 18,40,347    | 156      | 15          |
| CBT for the post of Technician (14,298 vacancies)                                      | 26,99,892    | 139      | 15          |
| 1 st Stage CBT for the post of JE/DMS/CMA (7,951 vacancies)                            | 11,01,266    | 146      | 15          |
| CBT for the post of RPF-SI (452 vacancies)                                             | 15,35,635    | 143      | 15          |
| CBT for the post of RPF-Constable (4,208 vacancies)                                    | 45,30,288    | 147      | 15          |
| CBT for Paramedical Categories (1,376 vacancies)                                       | 7,08,321     | 143      | 15          |
| 1 st Stage CBT for Non-Technical Popular Categories (Graduate) (8,113 vacancies)       | 58,41,774    | 141      | 15          |
| 1 st Stage CBT for Non-Technical Popular Categories (Under Graduate) (3,445 vacancies) | 63,27,473    | 157      | 15          |
| CBT for Ministerial & Isolated categories (1,036 vacancies)                            | 4,46,013     | 139      | 15          |
| CBT for level-1 post (32438 vacancies)                                                 | 1,08,28,261  | 152      | 15          |
| Total Candidates                                                                       | 3,58,59,270  |          |             |

2 nd  stage CBTs for the posts of ALP, JE/DMS/CMA and Non-Technical Popular Categories (Graduate & Under-Graduate) have also been completed.  Details are as under: -

| Exam                                                                                   | Candidates   | Cities   | Languages   |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------|----------|-------------|
| 2 nd Stage CBT for the post of ALP (18,799 vacancies)                                  | 2,66,363     | 112      | 15          |
| 2 nd Stage CBT for the post of JE/DMS/CMA (7,951 vacancies)                            | 1,17,339     | 118      | 15          |
| 2 nd Stage CBT for Non-Technical Popular Categories (Graduate) (8,113 vacancies)       | 1,21,931     | 129      | 15          |
| 2 nd Stage CBT for Non-Technical Popular Categories (Under-Graduate) (3,445 vacancies) | 51,978       | 79       | 15          |
| Total Candidates                                                                       | 5,57,611     |          |             |

Computer Based Aptitude Test (CBAT) for the post of ALP and Non-Technical Popular Categories (Graduate) and Computer based Skill Test for the post of Non-Technical  Popular  Categories  (Graduate  and  Under  Graduate)  and Ministerial  &  Isolated  Categories  have  also  been  completed.  Details  are as under: -

| Exam                                                                                                              | Candidates   | Cities   | Languages   |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------|----------|-------------|
| CBAT for the post of ALP                                                                                          | 1,32,044     | 84       | 2           |
| Translation Test for Ministerial and Isolated Categories                                                          | 1,233        | 8        | 2           |
| CBAT for the post of Non-Technical Popular Categories (Graduate)                                                  | 13,616       | 38       | 2           |
| Computer Based Typing Skill Test (CBTST) for the post of Non-Technical                                            | 30,341       | 58       | 2           |
| Computer Based Typing Skill Test (CBTST) for the post of Non-Technical Popular Categories (Under-Graduate- level) | 13,145       | 44       | 2           |
| Total Candidates                                                                                                  | 1,90,379     |          |             |

Panels for more than 41,000 candidates for various posts including the posts of Technicians, Junior Engineers, Paramedical Categories, SubInspectors & Constable (RPF) and Assistant Loco Pilots have been finalised.  Majority of them are in safety categories.

In  addition,  as  per  Annual  Calendar  for  the  year  2025, nine Centralized Employment  Notifications (CENs) for 50,970 vacancies have also been issued. Details are as under:

| CEN No.   | Post Name                                      | No. of Vacancies   | Month of Notification   |
|-----------|------------------------------------------------|--------------------|-------------------------|
|           |                                                | notified           |                         |
| 01/2025   | Assistant Loco Pilots                          | 9,970              | March 2025              |
| 02/2025   | Technician                                     | 6,238              | June 2025               |
| 03/2025   | Paramedical categories                         | 434                | July 2025               |
| 04/2025   | Section Controller                             | 368                | August 2025             |
| 05/2025   | Junior Engineer/ Depot Material Superintendent | 2,585              | October 2025            |

|                 | Non-Technical Popular         | 5,810   | October 2025   |
|-----------------|-------------------------------|---------|----------------|
| 06/2025         | Categories (Graduate)         |         |                |
| 07/2025 08/2025 | Graduate) Isolated Categories | 312     | December 2025  |
| 09/2025         | level-1                       | 22,195  | December 2025  |

First stage/Single stage Computer Based Tests (CBTs) for 2,953 posts have been completed.  Details are as under: -

| Exam                                                   | Candidates   | Cities   | Languages   |
|--------------------------------------------------------|--------------|----------|-------------|
| CBT for the post of Section Controller (368 vacancies) | 4,33,748     | 131      | 15          |
| 1st Stage CBT for the post of JE/DMS (2585 vacancies)  | 5,74,351     | 133      | 15          |
| Total Candidates                                       | 10,08,099    |          |             |

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