Datanomics: Derailments continue to dominate train accident cases

Two weeks ago, a passenger train running from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Ghaziabad derailed near Shivaji bridge station in New Delhi. Though no fatalities were reported, the incident highlights the persistent issue of train accidents in India. Between 2015 and 2023, around 543 train accidents occurred, resulting in 805 deaths, with derailments accounting for 71 per cent of the accidents and 35 per cent of the fatalities. The Commissioner of Railway Safety, in a recent report, noted that a failure to detect flaws in the rail led to a derailment in Bihar. These incidents raise concerns about railway safety, especially as safety expenditure has remained between 20 per cent and 27 per cent of total railway spending over the past decade.

 

Derailment share at all-time high in 2024

 

Derailments share in total train accidents rose dramatically in the ten years from 2015 to 2024.  However, deaths due to derailments as a share of total train accident fatalities fluctuated sharply in nine years (2015-2023), peaking at 100 per cent in 2021.

 

Safety spends may drop to 21% of total expenditure

 

Safety expenditure as a percentage of total railway expenditure was 27 per cent in the financial year 2019 (FY19), rising to 42 per cent in FY21. However, it declined to 21.4 per cent in FY25 (RE) and was projected to further drop slightly to 21 per cent in FY26 (BE).

 

Track renewals constitute 20% of safety expenditure

 

Among safety expendi­tures, the highest shares are allocated to R&M of permanent ways and works, track renewals, and R&M of carriages and wagons in FY26 (BE).

 

  (Note: R&M stands for repairs and maintenance. RE = Revised Estimates, BE= Budget Estimates.)