The opposition parties have acted quickly to capitalise on the devastating Odisha triple train accident, which claimed 270 lives and injured over 800 people. On June 4, disqualified MP and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi sought the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over ‘moral grounds.’ West Bengal CM and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had also echoed similar sentiments asking the Union Railway Minister to step down from the post.
Amid opposition parties’ growing clamour for the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over the Odisha train accident, it is pertinent to note that the Modi government inherited a network that needed a lot of reforms and professionalism.
Despite this, the frequency of train derailments, along with a corresponding fall in collisions, level-crossing accidents, fire events, and the incidence of train accidents per million kilometres, have reduced by three times under the BJP government in the last nine years as compared to the previous decade under the UPA government.
How have past railway ministers performed?
According to the Fact Sheet of the Indian Railways’ “Safety Performance” (2019), there were 84 train collisions, 867 derailments, and 1,711 accidents overall under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) administration. Under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, meanwhile, there have been 29 train collisions, 426 derailments, and a total of 638 accidents, amounting to only one-fourth of the total accidents during the UPA government’s tenure.
In contrast to the 2,453 deaths reported by the UPA administration during its ten-year rule, just 781 people have died in train accidents since 2014. Notably, the figures show that there has been a dramatic decrease in fatalities and accidents starting in 2017.
Additionally, around 2000, the Indian Railways used to witness an annual casualty of about 300. This figure has drastically decreased, and in 2020, India recorded a two-year phase of zero reported railway-related casualties.
In fact, data shows that the number of train accidents and the number of people dead in such accidents shows that mishaps have reduced significantly under the Modi government. The maximum number of people who died or got injured before the Balasore incident was in the year 95-96, 97-2000, 2001-2003 and 2011-2012. In 1995, the PM of the country of PV Narasimha Rao, from 97-2000, the PMs were HD Deve Gowda, IK Gujaral and marginally in 2000, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and in 2011-2012, it was PM Manmohan Singh.
There were 5 notable railways accidents from 2010 to 2012 – Jnaneswari Express in 2010, Uttar Banga Express and Vananchal Express in 2010, Chhapra-Mathura Express in 2011, Hubli-Banglore Hampi Express in 2012 and Tamil Nadu Express in 2012. All of these took place under the Congress government at the centre. In fact, during UPA-I and UPA-II over 1300 train accidents had taken place.
Another set of data revealed that Mamata Banerjee, who served as the Railway Minister under both Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, oversaw 54 collisions, 839 derailments, and 1,451 deaths.
Under Nitish Kumar’s tenure, there were 79 collisions, 1,000 derailments, and 1,527 deaths.
Similarly, 51 train collisions, 550 derailments, and 1,159 fatalities were witnessed by Lalu Prasad Yadav, who also served as Manmohan Singh’s railway minister.
Reforms and measures for train safety undertaken by Modi Government
The above data only go on to prove that the Modi government has done exceptionally well as far as train safety is concerned. This happened as a result of Indian Railways’ continuous efforts to improve safety performance in all respects. To enhance safety, the national transporter had, until 2020, implemented a number of significant safety precautions, some of which are listed below:
- In comparison to the 631 Manned Level Crossings removed in the year 2018–19, Indian Railways abolished as many as 1274 in the following year, 2019–20. Thus, Indian Railways has now eliminated the greatest number of level crossings ever.
- To increase safety on the Indian Railways network, a total of 1309 ROBs/RUBs were constructed in 2019–20.
- A total of 1367 bridges were renovated in 2019–20, up from 1013 in 2018–19.
- Compared to 4,265 Track km (TKM) in the previous year, Indian Railways had the highest-ever renewal of rails in the current fiscal year (5,181 TKM).
- The number of rails supplied by SAIL during the 2019–20 fiscal year (13.8 lakh tonnes) was at an all-time high. With the provision of 6.4 Lakh tonne long rails, the field welding scope was greatly reduced, improving asset reliability.
- A total of 285 level crossings have been interlocked by signals in 2019–20; there are 11,639 total level crossings that have been interlocked.
- In order to increase safety, electrical and electronic signalling have been installed in 84 railway stations during 2019–20.
- The government has done a comparatively excellent job in ensuring greater construction of foot overbridges. During the first four years of the NDA government, 74-foot overbridges were constructed against 23 constructed by previous UPA, registering a 221 per cent increase in the rate.
- UPA government in its 10 years of rule, from 2004 to 2014, produced/manufactured 233 LHB coaches. Modi-led NDA government in its tenure has produced 6 times more LHB coaches per year with a total rate standing at 1,387 coaches per year. The government has constantly increased the production year-by-year in its tenure competing efficaciously with itself every year.
- In 2013/14, the previous UPA government electrified a total of 610 Km of route whereas in 2017/18, BJP led NDA, ensuring a 570% increase, carried out electrification of 4,087 Km of railway tracks.
- Railways laid 7,666 Km of tracks during 2014-17 of NDA tenure, which is 794 Km more than the UPA-2’s initial three years from 2009-12.
A comparison of the train development projects the Modi government has undertaken with those carried out during the UPA administration paints a splendid picture of the Modi government’s accomplishments.
Balasore Train Accident
On June 2, a massive train accident involving one goods train and two passenger trains took place in Balasore, Odisha claiming the lives of over 275 people and leaving over 900 people injured.
Notably, yesterday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the cause of the Balasore accident and the people responsible for the same has been identified. While he said that the matter is being investigated by the Commissioner of Railway Safety and it will not be proper for him to comment on it, he added that the accident took place due to a change in electronic interlocking.
Vaishnaw also said that the accident has nothing to do with the absence of the Kavach anti-collision system, adding that things like electronic interlocking, point machines etc were involved in the matter.
(This report included information that 98% of Indian tracks were laid between 1870 and 1930 based on a Times of India report. Indian Railways has now clarified that the information was not accurate. This report has been updated with the latest information)
