Context

• In a tragic train accident in Odisha, 288 people died more than 1,000 are injured.
• This is perhaps the deadliest train accidents on record in the last 20 years and has again raised the issue of safety standards followed by Indian Railways.

Rail Safety Situation in India and Elsewhere

• Extremely Uncommon in Other Countries
  • Accidents involving passenger trains are extremely uncommon in countries with developed railway systems like Japan, China, Turkey, and several European nations like France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
  • In these railways, most passenger trains travel at a maximum speed of 200–350 kmph, clocking an average speed of 150–250 kmph, which is three to five times faster than the speed in India.
• Frequent in India
  • Despite the slow speed of trains (average speed ~50 km per hour), fatal train accidents happen frequently in India.
  • India is placed slightly higher than Egypt, Mexico, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, and Pakistan in terms of safety performance. 

Comparing Indian Rail Infrastructure with China

• Total Length
  • The total length of China’s rail network in 1950 (21,800 km) was less than half that of India (53,596 km).
  • India’s total route length (62,900 km) was surpassed by China (66,000 km) by 1997.
  • Currently, China’s total route length (1,55,000 km) exceeds India’s (68,100 km) by more than twofold.
• Upgradation of Network
  • From 1995 to 2010, China focused on achieving speeds of 200–250 kmph on its pre-existing lines.
  • Next, China constructed new lines that served as dedicated passenger lines for operational speeds of 200–250 kmph (high speed) and 300–350 kmph (ultra-high speed).
  • Indian Railways also has decided to raise the sectional speed of 53 important broad-gauge routes across the country to 130 kmph.
  • The move is expected to reduce the travel time and enhance the operational efficiency of the trains and give a boost to freight operations.

Project Mission Raftar and its Outcome

• Mission Raftar was announced by the Indian Railway Board in 2017–18 with the goal of
  • Doubling the average speed of freight trains from 25 kmph to 50 kmph and
  • Achieving a 50 per cent increase in passenger train speed from 50 kmph to 75 kmph in five years.
• The CAG report revealed that the plan did not result in any speed increase.
• Unlike China, India did not build new dual track lines along the major trunk routes, notably the quadrilateral, and its diagonals that connect Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata.
• As a result, there is severe congestion on India’s main trunk routes.

Impact of Severe Congestion

• Stagnant Speed: The severe congestion on Indian Railways’ main trunk routes is the primary factor contributing to the trains’ stagnant speeds and their subpar safety record.
• Revenue Loss: Over the past 20 years, rail has consistently lost market share to the competition from air and road transportation.
• Difficulty in Infra Upgradation: Track, electrical, and signalling infrastructure maintenance, and fault diagnosis have suffered because of this severe congestion.
• Lack of Punctuality: This has a negative impact on safety due to the overworked drivers, station masters, and trackmen.

Steps Taken by Indian Railways

• DFCs (Dedicated Freight Corridors)
  • In 2005, the Railway Board decided to build two dedicated freight corridors (DFCs) with a combined route length of 2,843 km, with plans to build three more in the future.
  • These DFCs are still incomplete and may take 2 to 4 more years.
• Kavach
  • It is India’s very own automatic protection system in development since 2012, under the name Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS).
  • It is a state-of-the-art electronic system (which activates the train’s braking system automatically, if the train jumps red signal) which was designed to help the Indian Railways achieve Zero Accidents.
  • It has been indigenously developed by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in collaboration with the Indian industry.

 India’s Progress in High-Speed Rail and Ultra High Speed (Bullet Train)

• Bullet Train
  • In 2017, India began construction of a standalone ultra-high speed (Bullet Train) line on the Standard Gauge between Mumbai andAhmedabad.
  • Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for scores of more such lines were prepared.
  • While the progress of construction of the Mumbai-Ahemdabad bullet train line is slow, the plan to build more bullet train lines is also slim.
• Vande Bharat Semi High-Speed Rail
  • Vande Bharat Express/Train 18 is India's first semi-high-speed trainbuilt by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai under the Government’s Make in India.
  • The first train was launched between New Delhi and Varanasi on February 15, 2019 and currently there are 17 Vande Bharat Express trains running.
  • These trains are equipped with intelligent braking system with power regeneration for better energy efficiency thereby making it cost, energy and environment efficient.

 Way Forward

• Focus on HSR (High Speed Railway) instead of Bullet Train
  • Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet line will cost an absurd Rs 350 crore per km, which is about 10 times as much as a 160 kmph semi-highspeed line and seven times as much as a 200–250 kmph high speed line.
  • Considering the predominantly flat terrain on the trunk routes of India and the significant advantages of the broader Indian Broad Gauge for this flat terrain of soft alluvial soils, India should build 200–250 kmph high-speed lines.
  • The total cost of upgrading 15,000 km of the existing trunk routes to 160–200 kmph and building 10,000 km of high-speedBroad-Gauge lines is expected to be about Rs 7 lakh crore.
  • This can be done in 15 years, this expanded and upgraded network will have sufficient capacity to meet the requirements of both passenger and freight traffic until 2060–2070 with ensured safety and punctuality.
• Expansion and Modernisation of Existing Rail Networks: To compete effectively with the rapid technological developments in air and road transport through safer and faster train travel,India should expand and modernise its existing network like developed nations
• To enhance safety Indian Railways should strive:
  • To make railways more reliable and a safer mode for transportation of men and material.
  • To stimulate the implementation of modern, proactive, and systematic safety measures.
  • To bring about both qualitative and quantitative improvements in safety performance.
  • To encourage safety research and development.
  • To reduce consequential train accidents.

Conclusion

• Indian Railways has been the lifeline of India. There has been a lot of progress in many fields but safety should come first.
• Indian Railways needs an infrastructure revamp focused on improving safety, speed, and punctuality so that Indian railways can reclaim its role as the lifeline of India.