Context: 

The recent rail accident in Balasore, Odisha, where three trains collided, highlights the difficulties India encounters in upgrading and expanding its railway services. 

Causes of the Train Accident:

• Override of Interlocking System: A signal maintainer, who has access to the equipment hut or relay room, may have overridden the interlocking system to expedite maintenance work and avoid disruptions to train schedules.
• Sabotage by a Criminal: The accident may have been caused by deliberate sabotage orchestrated by an individual with criminal intent.

Strengthening Access to Systems:

• Implement Stronger Safeguards: Despite the challenges, it is crucial to pursue stronger safeguards against unauthorized access to railway signaling systems with determination.
• Double Lock System: Consider implementing a double lock system for remote huts in railway stations, even if it causes inconvenience and potential train delays.
• Explore Digital Authorizations: Leverage mobile phones and IT applications to develop a system of multiple digital authorizations, reducing the need for physical movement of staff other than maintainers.
• Inquiry Focus: The ongoing inquiry should extend beyond identifying culprits and prioritize devising a safer system to prevent similar incidents in the future.

• Accountability and Safety Records: Maintainer shortcuts: Importance of determining if the intrusion was an isolated incident or a recurring problem.
  • Management responsibility: Top-level accountability for maintaining safety standards.

Indian Railways’ Safety Record and Progress:

• Reduced Fatality Rates: Over the past decade, the number of fatalities caused by railway accidents has significantly decreased, with recent years recording fewer than 50 annual fatalities.
  • The reduction in accident rates is attributed to initiatives such as the elimination of unmanned level crossings and improved track renewal and maintenance.

Importance of Indian Railways:

• High Volume of Passengers: Indian Railways carries almost 3.5 billion people annually, making it crucial to prioritize safety due to the potential catastrophic effects of any lapses.
• Lifeline for Economic Migrants: Trains serve as the lifeline for millions of India’s poorer economic migrants, facilitating their mobility and livelihood opportunities.
• International Comparison: Safety standards in Indian Railways are compared with those of developed countries, emphasizing the need to align with global best practices and enhance India’s international image.
• Connectivity: Indian Railways plays a vital role in providing connectivity, promoting economic development, facilitating the movement of goods, and attracting investments. Ensuring safety is essential for fostering seamless connectivity and enabling growth.

Challenges faced by Indian Railways:

• Human resource deployment problem: 
  • Semi-skilled workers: Indian Railways saddled with semi-skilled workers promoted from linemen to handle mechanical or sophisticated electronic systems.
    • These ground level staff simply cannot stand up to pressure from the traffic or civil engineering wings.
• Vacancy: 

• • Data available shows 3.12 lakh non-gazetted posts were vacant. 
  • These vacant positions include those responsible for safety, maintenance and engineering. 
  • In the Central Railway alone, 14,203 vacancies out of the 28,650 posts were in the safety category.

• Derailments of Railways:
  • Derailments formed close to 70% of all accidents since 1990­-91, followed by level crossing accidents, collisions and fires in trains.
  • Among the consequential train accidents, 55% had occurred due to negligence or failure of the Railways staff.
  • The major causes of derailments are rail fractures, weld failures, track defects and rolling stock defects.
• Funding and Expenditure:
  • In the 2023-­24 Union Budget, the Railways received a record allocation of ₹2.40 lakh crore. However, when capital expenditure on crucial activities related to safety such as track renewal and signalling and telecom are considered, their shares dwindled.
  • A Parliamentary Standing Committee report in 2023 observed that “appropriations to the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh” has been falling short ever since it was introduced.
  • The Committee also noted that the Railways did not meet the target of earmarked allocations for the previous five years. 
• Comptroller and Auditor General of India Report on derailment in Indian Railways:
  • It had noted that around 75 per cent of the 217 consequential train accidents between 2017-18 and 2020-21 were due to derailments. 
    • And one of the major factors responsible for derailments was related to maintenance of tracks.
  • There were shortfalls ranging from 30% to 100% in inspections by track-recording cars required to assess the geometrical and structural conditions of the tracks
  • The report also pointed to failures in the Track Management System, which is a web-based application for online monitoring of track maintenance activities.

Way Forward: 

• Recommendations of High-Level Safety Review Committee ( Anil Kakodkar Committee):

• • Stopping the practice of introduction of new trains without commensurate inputs to the infrastructure.
  • A switch over from the ICF (Integral Coach Factory) design coaches to the much safer Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) design coaches.
  • Need for an independent mechanism for safety regulation. The Committee recommends the creation of a statutory Railway Safety Authority with enough powers to have a safety oversight on the operational mode of Railways.
  • Restructuring of Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO) for greater empowerment. 
  • A Railway Research and Development Council (RRDC) should be set up directly under the government.
  • Adoption of an Advanced Signalling System (akin to the European Train Control System) for the entire trunk route length.
• CAG recommendations: Railways should ensure
  • Strict adherence to the scheduled timelines for conducting and finalisation of accident inquiries.
  • Develop a strong monitoring mechanism to ensure timely implementation of maintenance activities by adopting fully mechanised methods of track maintenance and improved technologies. 

• Focus on Upgrading Track and Signalling: Given the saturated rail network and the increasing number of train services, prioritizing the upgrade of track and signalling systems is essential.
• Implement Kavach System: While the indigenous comprehensive signalling system, Kavach, may not have prevented this specific accident, its faster implementation can enhance rail safety and improve sectional capacity for running more trains.
• Government’s Attention: While the government receives attention for initiatives like the introduction of Vande Bharat trains and railway station modernization, faster execution of track and signalling work should be given equal importance.
• Sufficient Funds: The central government’s capital expenditure investment in Indian Railways is significantly high, indicating that funds are not a constraint for improving rail safety.

Image Source: The Hindu

News Source: The Hindu

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