Indian Railways: Deadliest Train Accidents From 1981-2023
India has a very interesting history when it comes to the railway network and its existence. The Indian Railways came into India long back on April 16, 1853, by the British. The train, which had around 30 wagons, was operated by three locomotives named Sahib, Sultan, and, Sindh.
Significance of Indian Railways:
It is the world’s fourth-largest rail network, the largest in Asia, and the second-largest network operated under a single management.
- It has the world’s longest platform in Gorakhpur.
- It runs 12,617 trains daily with 23 million passengers.
- It has the largest number of employees.
List Of Railway Accidents From 1981 – 2023
- 6 June 1981 – The Bihar: Train derailed and fell into the river Bagmati while crossing a bridge. The casualties were between 300 and 800 people.
- 20 August 1995 – The Firozabad Rail Disaster: Purushottam Express collided with the stationary Kalindi Express near Firozabad. It killed 400 people.
- 2 August 1999 – The Gaisal Train Disaster: In this Brahmaputra Mail collided with the stationary Avadh Assam Express at Gaisal station. The incident killed at least 285, injuring more than 300 people.
- 11 July 2006 – The 2006 Mumbai Train Bombings: A series of coordinated bomb attacks on commuter trains in Mumbai, resulting in killing at least 200 and injuring over 700 passengers.
- 19 October 2018 – Amritsar Train Disaster: Approx 59 people were killed and about 100 injured when a train ran into a crowd of spectators who were standing on the tracks watching the Dusshera festival in Amritsar.
- 2 June 2023 – 2023 Odisha Train Collision: Train 12841 Coromandel Express collides with a freight train loaded with iron ore in Odisha’s Balasore district. The accident took place near Bahanaga Bazar station when the train was on the way to MGR Chennai Central from Shalimar railway station near Kolkata. It derailed more than 20 coaches. 12864 SMVT Bengaluru–Howrah SF Express travelling towards Howrah passed in the opposite line just seconds before. However, the derailed coaches of the Coromandel Express smashed into the last few coaches of the SMVT Bengaluru-Howrah SF Express before it could completely pass through that section. A total of three trains were involved. More than 1,200 were injured and 296 people died.
Not the deadliest but recently this month on
11 October 2023 Bihar: In the night 6 coaches of 12506 Anand Vihar Terminal-Kamakhya Junction North East Express derailed near Raghunathpur Railway Station in the Buxar district of Bihar killing 4 and injuring more than 70.
Causes for Frequent Train Accidents
- Human Error
- Derailment
- Poor infrastructure
- Poor maintenance of parts
Data about Train accidents and casualties
There is a massive drop from 14,769 train accidents in the decade between 1960-61 and 1970-71 to 1,844 train accidents in the ten-year period between 2004-05 and 2014-15.
Looking at deaths and injuries data of train accidents of five years between 2017-18 and 2021-22, the years 2019-20 and 2020-21 saw no deaths in train accidents. In fact, the first year of the COVID pandemic – 2020-21 – saw no injuries as well.
Can accidents be avoided:
Yes, accidents can be minimized to zero by implementing National Rail Plan Vision – 2030.
1) The key features of this plan are:
2) Formulation of strategies and policies.
3) Reducing the time of freight.
4) Identify new dedicated freight corridors.
5) Identify new high-speed rail corridors.
6) Assess periodically capital investments.
7) Assess periodically locomotives.
Train forms not only one of the bases of transportation but also a significant part of GDP. For a higher class, it can be an option but for two-thirds of the population it is the only affordable choice that partially makes their dream of traveling come true and for some people, it is also a means of transportation for earning and learning.
So if railways are that much important part of a society of 1.3 billion people it is important to make it as safe as possible.
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