By Ananya Singh
The Indian Railways has had a harrowing month. Following the Kalinga-Utkal and Kaifiyat Express, the Duronto Express went off tracks on 29th August. With three devastating derailments within ten days, the dismal state of safety in railways has the public and top officials on the edge of their seats.
On one hand, the bullet train, a pet project of the Modi-led NDA government, is expected to kickstart the following month. On the other hand, the year 2016-17 holds the highest death toll due to train derailments in a decade. Reform of the Indian Railways has long been floundering in a swamp of negligence. The Railway Ministry is now attempting to remedy the situation and to plug the loopholes. In hindsight, the much-awaited bullet train project seems to be a farcical notion of development and progress.
The Duronto Express derailment
The Duronto Express derailed around 40 km from Mumbai. The engine and five coaches went off track around 6:30 am. Some were injured, but no deaths have been reported yet. A railway official blamed the heavy rainfall in the region, which has caused landslides over the past few days. The official also stated that the train driver applied the emergency brakes on time, averting a larger disaster.
Kalinga-Utkal Express: The first catastrophe
The Puri-Haridwar bound Utkal Express derailed on 19th August in Khatauli, near Muzzafarnagar. Thirteen coaches went off track, and one of them crashed into a nearby house. Rescue efforts found many people buried under the debris. The final death count reported was 22, while 156 others were injured.
Reportedly, the right-side track had been “cut by a Hexa blade.” The existing gap in the track widened unmercifully as the Utkal Express hurtled on at a speed of 100 km/hr. Tools lying by the tracks indicate unscheduled maintenance work and negligence by the authorities. As the time for maintenance works has been shrinking, unscheduled track repairs or tasks being done without official permission have become a routine affair,” announced a Railway Ministry statement.
The government sent top officials on leave, including Railway Board member (engineering), Aditya Mittal, Railways General Manager, RK Kulshreshta and Delhi Divisional Railway Manager, RN Singh. Four others were suspended while one official was transferred after the fatal derailment. Hence, the government focused on increasing accountability at every level to avert future cases of negligence.
Kaifiyat Express: The second disaster
A collision with a dumper caused eight coaches and the engine of the Kaifiyat Express to derail near Auraiya in UP on 23rd August at 2:40 am. More than 80 people were injured. The Railway Ministry ordered a detailed investigation of the incident. It also invited the public to come forward with information.
The dumper was carrying construction materials for railways, but the ministry has denied ownership. An FIR was lodged against the dumper’s driver and the contractor. However, both are missing. Following the two back-to-back derailments in UP, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu offered his resignation. However, Narendra Modi deferred the resignation and ordered him to wait for investigation results.
Running on bumpy financial tracks
Introduced during the British rule, the Indian Railways has been struggling with modernisation and finance. While systemic reforms introduced over the years have helped boost investment in the sector, the ground-level shows little to no change. Suresh Prabhu’s introduction of safety measures in the railway system earlier this year was welcomed with much fanfare. Emphasis was laid on incorporating technology in the restructuring process. However, the perceived lack of funding makes the process of overhaul and replacement of worn-out tracks difficult.
Further, the 2017-18 budget instituted a Railway Suraksha Kosh with a corpus of Rs 1 lakh crore. The project remains in its initial stage. While setting up committees to oversee the safety of railways is essential, the importance of operational management cannot be ignored. Inefficient governance on this front seals the fate of the ‘Zero Accident Mission’ as an unrealised dream.
What causes train derailments?
Human error accounts for more than half of the rail accidents. Another reason is the wear and tear of railway tracks. Over the years, the reform of railways has been directed towards introducing new trains to pacify vote banks. An increased number adds to the already heavy traffic running on tracks. Certain lines bear the burden of being overused beyond their capacity without repairs.
4500 km of rail lines are stipulated to be replaced annually. However, authorities are only able to restore 2000 km. This puts immense pressure on the existing tracks. Wear and tear are inevitable. A member of Railway Ministry said, The pressure of freight and passenger trains doesnt give us enough window to carry on repairs. If we cancel trains, freight and passengers are affected. Besides, railways are short-staffed. Around 125,000 positions of safety staff remain vacant. A lack of coordination exists between authorities and ground workers. There is an undeniable gap between safety standards on paper and the measures instituted at ground-level.
Better safe than sorry
The sacking of top officials is a step towards implementing accountability in the system, but that alone will not suffice. Safety must be built into the mechanism. Rather than waiting for accidents to initiate probes, the Railway Ministry should learn from past experience and take preventive steps.
Regular security checks must be prioritised to minimise human error. Better coordination between the authorities and the ground force is essential. As former Railway Board Chairman Arunendra Kumar says, The problem in India is not of safety standards but the execution of standards.
Indian Railways, a major network of transport used by a majority of Indians, has witnessed a waning of confidence in its decaying operational abilities. Maintenance must be the top priority of authorities. Laxity regarding safety standards is unacceptable. Instead of pursuing new high-end development projects, the government should direct its efforts to improve the conditions of existing assets. In its determination to be “bigger and better,” India has forgotten that safety must come first.
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