INDIA: This year Indian Railways has set a new safety record for the first time. When compared to the early 35 years, this year the national transporter recorded less than 100 train accidents. According to the sources, in the last financial year, ended on March 31, the Indian Railways recorded total 73 accident this year. This figure is 29% less than the 104 figure in 2016-17.
While the number of train crash decreased to 39 from 68 in 2016-17, this year the accidents at unmanned level crossings decreased from 15 to just 8. The casualty figures, too, decreased significantly from 2016-17. In the year 2016-17, at least 150 people had died after the Indore-Patna Express derailed near Kanpur.
At least 1,503 unmanned level crossings and 484 manned level crossings were reduced by the development of over-bridges and under-bridges in 2016-17. The introduction of Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches to replace traditional ones has also reduced the chances of a train crash.
In the 2017-18 Budget, the government had set up the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh, a special safety fund with a corpus of Rs 1 lakh crore for financing safety-related works. Besides, the railways have speeded up the use of modern technology such as ultrasonic systems to detect a defect on tracks. In a related development, the Indian Railways has also set a new record by transporting over 1,160 million tonnes of freight in 2017-18.