Page 45 - Insurance Times July 2023

FEATURE

Train crashes in India fewer today, yet

far higher than most nations: A look into

the menace

ail accidents have become less frequent now, yet Historical data shows how the number of railway accidents
R remain high, when it comes to India. As in India still remain distressingly high. In fact, number of such
accidents along with their annual death toll saw a marginal
Moneycontrol delves deeper into train crashes,
the country grapples with its deadliest
derailment, that has claimed at least 288 lives and left more rise in the country from 2016 to 2020, when train services
were disrupted because of the pandemic.
than 1,100 injured.
In 2021, the number of accidents and their death toll
The fact is established by data from the National Crime increased from the year before by 37 percent and 38
Records Bureau (NCRB) that shows that there have been, percent as the pandemic restrictions on travel were lifted.
on the average, over 23,000 fatalities every year from
railway accidents between 2010 and 2021. The 68,043-km ‘Consequential accidents’ dwindle
railway network in India, the fourth largest in the world Although the NCRB figures show that the overall number of
after the US, China and Russia, ferries more than 3,519 railway accidents remains high in the country, the number
million people every year. of major accidents, have declined, according to data from
the Ministry of Railways.
Accidents still at a high level
Between 2017-18 and 2021-22, the number of
India suffered 17,993 railway accidents in 2021, resulting in
‘consequential’ train accidents declined by 53 percent. While
16,431 deaths, shows the latest data from the annual
the number of such accidents were 72 in 2017-18, it came
‘Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India’ report released by
down to 34 in 2021-22. Further, the number of deaths from
NCRB.
such accidents went down 71 percent from 58 to 17 during
this period.
This means that on the average, the country reported 49
railway accidents every day, causing at least 45 deaths. The
Data from the Ministry of Railways also show that the
figure for railway accidents here includes train collisions,
number of train accidents per million kilometres, which is
derailments, falling off trains, collision with people on tracks
considered to be an important indicator of rail safety, have
and fire or explosion.
also gone down over the years.
Accidents caused by passengers falling off trains or from Another statistic to note is that as the number of
collision with people on tracks account for the majority of
consequential train accidents have dwindled, so have the
railway accidents reported in India. Such accidents led to
compensation given by the Ministry of Railways to the
the death of as much 11,036 people in 2021, accounting for
victims of accidents.
over 67 percent of the overall figure.
The railways spent Rs 1.88 crore on paying compensation
In 2021 alone, 88 train collisions and 21 derailments were to victims in 2017-18. This has come down 54 percent to
reported, which claimed 86 and 22 lives. just Rs 85.88 lakh in 2021-22.

40 July 2023 The Insurance Times