NEW DELHI: Recent years have seen a troubling trend in the Indian Railways. While the frequency of consequential train accidents has significantly declined, the financial and material damages continue to mount.There has been a dramatic drop in accidents — from 1,711 in the years between 2004-05 and 2013-14 to just 678 between 2014-15 and 2023-24.The railway data, accessed by this newspaper, highlights that despite the decrease in accidents, the damage to railway property, including rolling stock, tracks, and other infrastructure incurred a cost running into over `300 crore.Railway officials admitted that the Indian Railway network, which is one of the largest in the world, faces significant challenges now in balancing safety, operational efficiency, and financial stability.According to official data, 748 deaths from 678 consequential train accidents were reported during 2015-24 and 2,087 passengers were injured during this period. This is against 904 deaths from 1,711 consequential train accidents with 3,155 injuries during 2005-14.
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