Ensuring Railway Safety | 21 Oct 2024

Source: TH 

Why in News?

Recently, there has been a spate of accidents across railway zones after which the government has called for urgent steps to prevent them. 

What is the Status of Railway Accidents? 

• Decrease Over the Decades: In the 1960s, the number of railway accidents was significantly higher, with an annual average of 1,390. 
  • Over the last decade, this number dropped to around 80 accidents per year, indicating a notable improvement in safety measures and operational efficiency. 
• Recent Trends in Consequential Accidents: Despite the reduction in overall accidents, there were still 34 consequential accidents in 2021-2022, 48 in 2022-2023, and 40 in 2023-2024. 
  • A consequential accident injures and/or kills people, damages railway infrastructure, and disrupts rail traffic. 
• Primary Causes of Accidents: According to public records, 55.8% of all accidents involving trains have been due to the failure of Railway staff and another 28.4% due to failures on the part of non-staff people. Equipment failure accounted for 6.2%.  
• Signalling Failures in Major Accidents: Both the Balasore (2023) and Kavaraipettai (2024) railway accidents were attributed to signalling system errors. 

What are the Causes of Railway Accidents? 

• Inadequate Safety Technologies:  Kavach has the potential to prevent collisions by automating braking and issuing alerts, its limited deployment makes it ineffective on a larger scale. 
  • By February 2024, the Railways had installed ‘Kavach’ on 1,465 route km, or 2% of its total route length.  
• Signalling System Failures: Faulty signalling systems have directly caused some major accidents, including the Balasore and Kavaraipettai incidents. 
  • Since 1990-1991, the Railways has classified nearly 70% of all major accidents as derailments due to signalling errors. 
• Network Congestion: High levels of congestion on the railway network are highlighted as a significant safety issue.  
  • According to the draft National Rail Plan, nearly 30% of the railway network is utilised to more than 100% capacity exacerbating the safety risks.  
• Insufficient Track Maintenance: The Railways needs to keep up existing equipment, including replacing tracks and wagons and maintaining trackside infrastructure.  
  • But in the 2023-2024 budget, capital outlay for track renewal dropped to 7.2%.  
  • Appropriations to the Depreciation Reserve Fund also fell 96% between 2014-19. 
• High Operating Ratio: The operating ratio (OR) in 2024-2025 is estimated to be Rs 98.2, a small improvement from 2023-2024 (Rs 98.7) but a decline from Rs 97.8 in 2016.  
  • A higher OR leaves less for capex and makes the Railways more dependent on budgetary support and Extra-Budgetary Resources (EBRs).  
  • This financial tension results in underfunding for critical safety upgrades and infrastructure improvements. 
  • OR is the amount the Railways spends to earn Rs 100.  
• Slow Infrastructure Development: Of the Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) the government mooted in 2005, only the eastern DFC is fully operational.  
  • The western DFC is partly ready; the east coast, east-west sub-corridor, and north-south sub-corridor DFCs, amounting to 3,958 km, are still in planning.   
  • Such a demand and supply gap of infrastructure compounds the safety problem. 
• Off-Setting of Loss: As per NITI Aayog, freight rates increased more than thrice as fast as passenger rates in 2009-2019 but Railways’ freight profit is offset significantly by passenger losses. 
  • In 2019-2020, the revenue from passenger services was a little over Rs 50,000 crore and losses were Rs 63,364 crore. 
• Prolonged Working Hours: One key cause of railway accidents, especially Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD) cases, is loco pilots' extended working hours.  
  • Manpower shortages force them to exceed the 12-hour duty limit, causing fatigue and increasing the risk of human error. 

What Recommendations have various Committees made to Enhance Railway Safety? 

• Rakesh Mohan Committee (2010): 
  • Revamp the accounting system to align with Indian GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) 
  • Focus on long-distance and inter-city transport, speed upgrades, and High-Speed Rail corridors for passenger services 
  • Develop logistics parks at key network hubs 
• Kakodkar Committee (2012): 
  • Establishing a statutory Railway Safety Authority 
  • Forming a non-lapsable Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) of Rs. 1 lakh crores over 5 years for safety projects. 
  • Adopting advanced technologies for track maintenance and inspection. 
• Bibek Debroy Committee (2014):  
  • Establishing a Railway Infrastructure Authority of India. 
  • Outsourcing non-core activities. 
• Vinod Rai Committee (2015): 
  • Setting up an independent Railway Safety Authority with statutory powers 
  • Forming a Railway Accident Investigation Board for impartial inquiries 
  • Establishing a separate Railway Infrastructure Company for owning and maintaining railway assets 

What can be Done to Prevent Railway Accidents? 

• Addressing Loco Pilot Vacancies: Indian Railways faces about 18,799 loco pilot vacancies. Immediate action is needed to fill these positions to prevent overworking pilots and reduce errors from stress and exhaustion. 
• Implement 'Kavach' Anti-Collision System: The Railways must expedite the installation of Kavach on more routes, especially high-traffic and high-risk sections, to prevent future collisions. 
• Address Network Congestion: Prioritising Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) and completing pending projects can help distribute traffic more evenly and reduce congestion. 
• Independent Railway Safety Authority: Creating an independent Railway Safety Authority as recommended by the Kakodkar Committee would ensure a more specialised and independent approach to railway safety oversight. 
• Work Hour Regulations: Stricter enforcement of work hour limits and ensuring that crew members have adequate rest are essential to reduce human errors. 
• Improve Signal Infrastructure: Investments in advanced signal and communication technologies can drastically reduce the chances of accidents caused by signal failures. 
• Installation of Fencing Along Tracks: Installing fences along railway tracks in high-risk areas could prevent cattle runovers that have been a cause of derailments. 
• Increasing Passenger Revenue: Increasing passenger fares judiciously or improving the efficiency of passenger services could help mitigate losses.