Lok Sabha Question No. 1854 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-11
Subject: Railway Level Crossings in Maharashtra
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Dr. Amol Ramsing Kolhe, Shri Mohite Patil Dhairyasheel Rajsinh, Smt. Supriya Sule, Shri Sanjay Dina Patil, Prof. Varsha Eknath Gaikwad, Shri Bhaskar Murlidhar Bhagare

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1854

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.02.2026

## RAILWAY LEVEL CROSSINGS IN MAHARASHTRA

1854. SHRI MOHITE PATIL DHAIRYASHEEL RAJSINH:

DR. AMOL RAMSING KOLHE:

SHRI SANJAY DINA PATIL:

SMT. SUPRIYA SULE:

PROF. VARSHA EKNATH GAIKWAD:

SHRI BHASKAR MURLIDHAR BHAGARE:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  assessed  the  safety  and  operational status of railway level crossings in Maharashtra;
- (b)  if  so,  the  total  number  of  level  crossings  in  the  State,  classified  as manned and unmanned as on date;
- (c) whether the Government is aware of persistent safety hazards, traffic congestion and accident risks at several suburban/semi-urban crossings and the assessment made thereof;
- (d)  if  so,  the  details  of  the  number  of  accidents, fatalities  and  injuries  at these crossings during the last five years, year and district-wise;
- (e)  the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  eliminate/upgrade level  crossings  through  Road  Over  Bridges,  Road  Under  Bridges  and Limited Height Subway along with the present status;
- (f) the funds allocated/sanctioned and utilised for grade-separation projects and the reasons for delays/cost overruns; and
- (g)  whether  joint  action  plans  with  the  Government  of  Maharashtra  are being  considered  to  expedite  stalled  projects  and  if  so,  the  current status of such initiatives?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a)  to  (g):  As  on  01.04.2025,  there  are  601  Nos.  of  Level  Crossings  (LCs) including 595  Nos.  Manned  Level  Crossings  (MLCs)  in the state of Maharashtra.

In  order  to  ensure  safety,  all  Unmanned  level  crossings  (UMLCs)  on Broad  Gauge  (BG)  network  of  Indian  Railways  have  been  eliminated  by 31.01.2019. No consequential train accident has occurred at Level Crossings situated in the state of Maharashtra during the last five years.

Further,  sanctioning  and  execution  of  works  of  Road  Over  Bridges/ Road Under Bridges (ROBs/RUBs) for elimination of LCs is a continuous and ongoing process on Indian Railways. Such works are prioritized and taken up on the basis of its impact on safety and mobility in train operations and impact on road users.

Nos. of ROBs/ RUBs constructed on Indian Railways during the period 2004-14 vis a vis 2014-25 (upto Dec'25) is as under:

| Period                | ROBs/ RUBs constructed                                        |
|-----------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2004-14               | 4,148 Nos.                                                    |
| 2014-25 (upto Dec'25) | 13,882 Nos.(including 1,228 Nos. in the state of Maharashtra) |

As on 01.01.2026, 4,769 Nos. ROBs/RUBs are sanctioned at the cost of ₹ 1,14,298 crore on Indian Railways  including 269 Nos. at the cost of ₹ 5,599  crore  in  the  state  of  Maharashtra  which  are  at  various  stage  of planning and execution.

Completion & commissioning of ROB/RUB works depends on various factors  like  cooperation  of   State  Governments  in  giving   consent  for closure of LC, fixing of approach alignment, approval of General Arrangement  Drawing  (GAD),  land  acquisition,  removal  of  encroachment, shifting of infringing utilities, statutory clearances from various authorities,   law  and  order  situation  in  the  area  of  project  /  work  sites, duration of working season in a year for the particular project / area  due to climatic conditions etc.  All these factors affect the completion time of the projects / works.

Railways have taken following measures to expedite the progress of ROB/RUB works:

- (i)  Joint survey with concerned State Govt./Road Owning Authority is done before  finalizing  the  General  Arrangement  Drawing   (GAD)  to  ensure smooth execution.
- (ii) Periodic meetings of Railway & State Government officials are done to resolve various issues related to ROB/RUB works.
- (iii) Standardization of superstructure drawings for various combinations of span,  skewness  and  width  of  road  on  Railway  portion  has  been  done  to avoid delays during the design approval. This has been issued in the form of compendium, which can be directly adopted for Road Over Bridge across Railway lines for expeditious planning.
- (iv) ROB/RUB works are planned to be executed on a single entity basis by Railway wherever possible. In case any Road Owning authority/State Govt. wants,  then  Railway  may  permit  them  to  execute  the  work  on  a  single entity basis.

Safety  is  accorded  the  highest  priority  on  Indian  Railways.  As  a consequence  of  various  safety  measures  taken  over  the  years,  including those for Level Crossings, 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 31.01.2026) | 12 (90% lesser)           |

Another important index showing improvement in safety in train operations is Consequential Accidents 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.

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2025-26

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 6,660 stations up to
3. 31.12.2025 to reduce accidents due to human failure.
3. Interlocking  of  Level  Crossing  (LC)  Gates  has  been  provided  at  10,097 Level Crossing Gates up to 31.12.2025 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  6,665 stations up to 31.12.2025.
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.  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.

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

After  extensive  and  elaborate  trials,  Kavach  Version  4.0  has  been successfully commissioned on 1297 Route Kilometres, covering the high density Delhi - Mumbai and Delhi - Howrah routes. On the Delhi - Mumbai route Kavach ver 4.0 has been commissioned on Junction cabin - Palwal -  Mathura  -  Nagda  section  (667  Rkm)  &  Ahmedabad  -  Vadodara  -  Virar section (432 Rkm) and on the Delhi - Howrah route on Gaya - Sarmatanr (93 Rkm) and Bardhaman - Howrah section (105 Rkm).

6. 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.
7. System  of  disconnection  and  reconnection  for  S&T  equipment  as  per protocol has been re-emphasized.
8. All  locomotives  are  equipped  with  Vigilance  Control  Devices  (VCD)  to improve alertness of Loco Pilots.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. Mechanisation  of  track  laying  activity  through  use  of  track  machines like PQRS, TRT, T-28 etc. to reduce human errors.
13. Maximizing supply of 130m/260m  long rail panels for increasing progress of rail renewal  and  avoiding welding of joints, thereby improving safety.
14. Ultrasonic  Flaw  Detection  (USFD)  testing  of  rails  to  detect  flaws  and timely removal of defective rails.
15. Laying of longer rails, minimizing the use of Alumino Thermic Welding and  adoption  of  better  welding  technology  for  rails  i.e.,  Flash  Butt Welding.
16. Monitoring  of  track  geometry  by  OMS  (Oscillation  Monitoring  System) and TRC (Track Recording Cars).
17. Patrolling of railway tracks to look out for weld/rail fractures.
18. The use of Thick Web Switches and Weldable CMS Crossing in turnout renewal works.
19. Inspections at regular intervals are carried out to monitor and educate staff for observance of safe practices.
20. 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.
21. Detailed  instructions  on  issues  related  with  safety  of  Track,  e.g. integrated block, corridor block, worksite safety, monsoon precautions, etc. have been issued.
22. Preventive  maintenance  of  railway  assets  (Coaches  &  Wagons)  is undertaken to ensure safe train operations.
23. Replacement  of  conventional  ICF  design  coaches  with  LHB  design coaches is being done.
24. All unmanned level crossings (UMLCs) on Broad Gauge (BG) route have been eliminated by January 2019.
25. 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.
21. 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
26. coaches, penalties etc.
27. 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.
28. Regular counselling and training of staff is undertaken.
29. 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 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 Infrastructure and Rolling Stock | Better Infrastructure and Rolling Stock                   | Better Infrastructure and Rolling Stock | Better Infrastructure and Rolling Stock         | Better Infrastructure and Rolling Stock |
| 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                      |

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