Across the Indian Railway network, 31 consequential train accidents were reported in the year 2024-25 with at least 24 of these falling under the derailments category, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.
The consequential train accidents have caused losses of Rs 157 crore, the Ministry added.
Consequential train accidents are those with serious repercussions in terms of loss of human life or injury, damage to railway property, or interruption to rail traffic of laid-down threshold levels and values. These include collisions, fire, derailment, and accidents at the level crossings.
In a series of written replies, Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared the details of train accidents in the last few years.
The Ministry said that the causes of the accidents that took place over Indian Railways broadly include track defects, loco/coach defects, equipment failures, or human errors. “During the last three years a total of 119 consequential train accidents have occurred over Indian Railways. Out of these 119 accidents, 28 were attributed to track related issues,” the Ministry said.
The Ministry also said that the Indian Railways has already adopted a fully mechanised Track Management System (TMS) to ensure monitoring of the track maintenance activities.
Of the 31 serious accidents, at least 24 were derailments, three were collisions, one was a level-crossing accident, and three involved fire or other causes, the Minister said.
“Total cost of damages to railway property such as rolling stock and tracks due to the 31 accidents that occurred in 2024-25, have been assessed as Rs 157.04 crore (Provisional),” the Ministry added.
Last week, News18 had reported that Indian Railways has reported an average of three “consequential” train accidents per month since 2021-22, as the country reported 157 such mishaps in the last 51 months.
Safety Prioritised, Ministry Says
The Ministry explained that safety is accorded the highest priority on Indian Railways.
“As a consequence of various safety measures taken over the years, there has been a steep decline in the number of accidents,” the Railway Ministry said.
Each and every train accident, Ministry added, is inquired into either by the statutory body, the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) under Ministry of Civil Aviation or Departmental Inquiry
Committees of Railways as per laid down norms. The Inquiry Committees, after due deliberations, submit their findings and recommendations in various accidents.
