Vaishnaw: Train Mishaps Plunge 90% in Decade of Reforms

Parliament heard a success story on Wednesday as Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reported a staggering 90% reduction in serious rail accidents since 2014-15, fueled by innovative safety drives.

Vaishnaw’s written Lok Sabha statement emphasized safety as the cornerstone of railway operations. From 135 serious accidents in 2014-15, the count has shrunk to 14 as of February 2025-26 – a decline that speaks volumes about proactive governance.

Long-term stats underscore the shift. Pre-2014 era (2004-05 to 2013-14) suffered 1,711 grave incidents, killing 904 and wounding 3,155. The reform decade (2014-15 to 2023-24) cut this to 678 accidents, 748 deaths, and 2,087 injuries.

Momentum persists: 31 accidents in 2024-25 (18 fatalities, 92 hurt), and 14 in early 2025-26 (16 deaths, 28 injuries).

Driving factors include meticulous track maintenance, next-gen signaling, and tech advancements. Safety spending leaped from Rs 39,200 crore (2013-14) to Rs 1,17,693 crore (2025-26), earmarking Rs 1,20,389 crore for 2026-27.

To curb human factors, 6,665 stations feature electronic interlockings, 10,153+ level crossings are fortified, and 6,669 stations employ track circuiting for occupancy verification.

Vaishnaw spotlighted Kavach, the Made-in-India ATP system from 2020, now deployed over 1,452 km on busy lines like Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah. This blend of technology and infrastructure investment promises a safer rail network for India’s vast travelers.