Data | Balasore tragedy: Data reveals decline in train accidents, but Indian Railways’ safety expenses remain low
The Hindu
Despite a significant decrease in accidents over the years, the recent Balasore tragedy highlights concerns about low safety expenses. A deep dive into historical railway accident numbers if India, causes of accidents, allocation of funds, and track renewal targets
A cursory look at historical data on railway accidents gives the impression that such incidents are a thing of the past. The Indian Railways saw an average of about 1,390 accidents per year in the 1960s. The number has dramatically dropped to 80 per year in the past decade. But the triple-train collision in Odisha’s Balasore, one of the deadliest in India, raises questions about safety in rail travel.
Here, train accidents refer to consequential train accidents: those that resulted in loss of human life, loss of railway property, caused injuries, and interrupted rail traffic. Derailments formed close to 70% of all accidents since 1990-91, followed by level crossing accidents, collisions and fires in trains (Chart 1).
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Also Read : In Frames | A glimpse of the triple train tragedy in Odisha’s Balasore district
The tragedy in Odisha that claimed at least 275 lives stands out. The number of deaths in this single incident is higher than the annual fatalities of the last 16 years (Chart 2). The Railways recorded zero fatalities in 2019-20 and 2020-21 due to consequential accidents. In 2020, when questioned by the NITI Aayog chief about the fact that 30,000 people had died over three years due to trespassing and other untoward incidents around railway premises, the Railways said it had no control over casualties due to trespassing or negligence or carelessness on the part of passengers and that efforts were being made to sensitise the public.
Notably, among the consequential train accidents, 55% had occurred due to negligence or failure of the Railways staff (Chart 3). About 28% of accidents were attributed to the failure of persons other than the Railways staff, and 6% had occurred due to equipment failure. A preliminary investigation has suggested a possible failure of the signalling system in the Balasore tragedy.
Also read: Odisha accident | Senior official flagged serious flaws in Indian Railways’ signalling system in February
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