Indian Railways has reported its strongest safety performance in decades, with the number of annual consequential train accidents dropping sharply from an average of 171 between 2004 and 2014 to 31 in 2024–25 and just 11 so far in 2025–26. The update was shared in the Rajya Sabha by Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
According to the Railways, safety remains a core priority, and every unusual incident is investigated thoroughly. While technical probes are led by railway departments, cases involving suspected criminal activity rely on State Police, in line with constitutional arrangements. In select cases, central agencies such as the CBI and NIA also assist.
The Ministry said all sabotage-related cases reported in 2023 and 2024 were registered by state police and GRP units, followed by arrests and prosecution. To prevent such incidents, joint teams of RPF, GRP, Railway staff and local police regularly patrol vulnerable stretches. High-risk areas are monitored closely, and intelligence inputs are shared across agencies. Local communities living near tracks are being sensitised to report any suspicious activity, while regular drives remove material lying near tracks that could be misused.
State Level Security Committee meetings, headed by state police chiefs, have added another layer of coordination, with a focus on crime control, law and order, and monitoring sabotage attempts. Intelligence units within RPF continue to work with state agencies to detect threats early.
The Railways’ focus on infrastructure modernisation has been central to the drop in accidents. Consequential train accidents declined from 135 in 2014–15 to 31 in 2024–25, and to 11 so far this fiscal year. Over the same period, investment in safety-related activities has nearly tripled — from ₹39,463 crore in 2013–14 to ₹1,16,470 crore this year.
Technological interventions have played a major role. Electronic interlocking has been installed at 6,656 stations, and 10,098 level crossing gates have been interlocked to improve operations. Complete track circuiting, which enables verification of track occupancy through electrical signals, is now available at 6,661 stations.
The rollout of Kavach, India’s indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, has accelerated with version 4.0 now commissioned on key stretches of the Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah routes. Work is underway to expand the system across 15,512 route kilometres covering major freight and passenger corridors.
To improve crew alertness in poor visibility, retro-reflective boards and GPS-based Fog Safety Devices have been deployed widely. The number of fog devices alone has risen from 90 in 2014 to 25,939 in 2025.
Track infrastructure has also undergone widescale renewal. The use of stronger 60-kg rails grew more than twofold over the last decade, while longer rail panels — which reduce the need for welding — expanded nearly eight times. Ultrasonic flaw detection tests doubled, helping identify weaknesses early. Weld failures have dropped by 90 per cent, and rail fractures by more than 88 per cent since 2013–14.
The Railways has added more than 34,000 km of new track since 2014, more than double the previous decade’s addition. Road overbridges and underpasses have tripled, and all unmanned level crossings on broad gauge routes were eliminated by early 2019. Production of LHB coaches — designed for better stability and crashworthiness — has surged more than eighteen times.
Fire safety measures in coaches have been expanded through fire detection and suppression systems, passenger information posters and stricter protocols. Regular counselling and staff training continue across zones. The Rolling Block system introduced in 2023, which allows long-term planned maintenance across corridors, has streamlined repair schedules.
