In a stunner, Indian Railways has reported zero passenger deaths till now this fiscal year 2019. Implementation of the latest technology, timely intervention to check safety measures and restructuring of railway board assisted in accomplishing this feat. Piyush Goyal made a premature announcement that this fiscal has been the safest year with zero deaths, while three months are yet to go.
Crux of the Matter
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal. said, “Safety First: First time in 166 years, Indian Railways had zero passenger deaths in the current financial year,”. Last passenger deaths were reported in February 2019 when Seemanchal Express derailed in Bihar.
Railway Ministry had improved its technological support in renewing primary tracks so as to improve safety levels.
Use of Ultrasonic Flaw Detection (USFD) to detect defective rails, and education and supervision of the railway staff has supported considerably in reducing the number of accidents.
The number of deaths from accidents like fire, collision, derailment, and level crossing accidents has reduced by 95% over the last 4 decades.
On an average 110 accidents took place every year between 2013-18, resulting in 990 deaths and 1,500 injuries. Total train accidents per million kilometres were 0.06 only in 2018-19.
Curiopedia
Railway accidents in India – Railway accidents may be classified by their effects, e.g.: head-on collisions, rear-end collisions, side collisions, derailments, fires, explosions, etc. They may alternatively be classified by cause, e.g.: driver and signalman error; mechanical failure of rolling stock, tracks and bridges; vandalism, sabotage and terrorism; level crossing misuse and trespassing; natural causes such as flooding and fog; hazards of dangerous goods carried; effectiveness of brakes; and adequacy of operating rules. India’s deadliest rail accidents were the Bihar train disaster (500–800 killed), the Firozabad rail disaster (358 killed), the Gaisal train disaster (285 killed) and the Khanna rail disaster (212 killed). More Info
Curated Coverage
Comments