313 passengers, four employees died in 40 train accidents in 2023-24, says RTI reply

313 passengers and 4 Railway employees died in 40 train accidents in 2023-24, highlighting urgent need to fill vacancies.

A total of 313 passengers and four Railway employees died in 40 train accidents in the 2023-24 financial year, the Ministry of Railways said in response to information sought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

The number of casualties and injuries was the highest during the year and is almost half the number of deaths reported during the past 10 years when a total of 719 passengers and 29 employees lost their lives in 638 train accidents.

Likewise, a total of 744 passengers and five Railway employees sustained injuries, in a total of 40 accidents that occurred during 2023-24, the Ministry informed Raju Vazhakkala, a Kochi-based RTI activist. He had sought details such as the number of train accidents during the past 10 years, details of casualties and injuries, and the number of unfilled vacancies in the gazetted cadre.

The year 2016-17 recorded the second highest number of casualties with the death of 195 passengers and three Railway employees, and 346 passengers and four employees suffering injuries, said the RTI response.

“The massive increase in accident deaths and injuries in 2023-24 sheds light on, among others, the urgent need to fill vacancies in the Railways. There are a total of 3,223 vacancies among gazetted cadre alone, as of April 1, 2024, as per Railway records, of which 143 are in the Southern Railway,” said Mr. Vazhakkala.