Vaishnaw said that the government has greatly increased spending to improve railway safety. The budget for safety measures has almost tripled, rising from Rs 39,463 crore in 2014-15 to more than Rs 1.16 lakh crore for 2025-26
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the current numbers show a major improvement in safety. File Pic/PTI
Indian Railways has seen a sharp fall in serious train accidents over the past decade. Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told Parliament on Wednesday that the number of "consequential train accidents" has dropped from 135 in 2013-14 to 31 in 2024-25, and further down to only 10 in 2025-26 up to November this year, reported the IANS.
He said that between 2004 and 2014, Indian Railways recorded 1,711 such accidents, which was an average of 171 accidents every year. The current numbers show a major improvement in safety.
The minister also pointed to a key safety indicator, the Accidents Per Million Train Kilometre (APMTKM). This has reduced from 0.11 in 2014-15 to 0.03 in 2024-25, showing about 73 per cent improvement, according to the IANS.
Vaishnaw said that the government has greatly increased spending to improve railway safety. The budget for safety measures has almost tripled, rising from Rs 39,463 crore in 2014-15 to more than Rs 1.16 lakh crore for 2025-26.
To prevent accidents caused by human error, modern electrical and electronic interlocking systems with centralised signal operation have been installed at 6,656 stations as of October 2025. Level crossing gates have also been interlocked at 10,098 locations to strengthen safety. Track circuiting -- which helps verify track occupancy through electrical systems — has been completed at 6,661 stations, as per the IANS.
The minister added that the advanced Kavach safety system, introduced in July 2020, has been successfully installed on the Palwal-Mathura-Kota-Nagda section (633 km) on the Delhi-Mumbai route and on the Howrah-Bardhaman section (105 km) on the Delhi-Howrah route. Kavach work is ongoing in the remaining stretches of both major routes and has also been approved for 15,512 km across key national corridors, the news agency reported.
All locomotives are now fitted with Vigilance Control Devices to ensure loco pilots remain alert. To improve visibility during fog, retro-reflective sigma boards and GPS-based Fog Safety Devices have been provided so drivers know the distance to signals and level crossings.
Indian Railways is also using stronger track materials, longer rail panels of 130m and 260m, and mechanised track-laying to reduce human error. Technologies like Ultrasonic Flaw Detection are being used to spot and replace defective rails early, while better welding practices are reducing the risk of fractures, as per the IANS.
Regular inspection, track patrolling, and online monitoring systems are also helping railway teams identify risks early and maintain high safety standards. The Railways believes these combined measures have played a major role in bringing down accidents sharply.
(with IANS inputs)
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