In a written statement in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the number of train accidents has come down sharply, from 135 in 2014-15 to just 11 in 2025-26 till November, as railway safety remains the top priority of the government.
Asked whether the center had put in place sufficient measures to achieve zero accidents, he said a number of safety initiatives taken over the years had led to a significant reduction in such accidents, according to PTI.
Vaishnaw stated, “Consequential train accidents have reduced from 135 in 2014-15 to 31 in 2024-25. It may be noted that the number of subsequent train accidents during 2004-14 was 1,711 (an average of 171 per year), which reduced to 12 and another 241 in 2025-26 (up to November 2025).
“Another important indicator that shows improved safety in train operation is the accident rate per million train kilometers (APMTKM), which has reduced from 0.11 in 2014-15 to 0.03 in 2024-25, an improvement of around 73 per cent during the said period,” he added.
Vaishnaw outlined several initiatives aimed at enhancing railway safety and noted that expenditure on safety-related works has increased significantly in recent years.
He explained that modern electrical and electronic security systems have been installed at thousands of stations to help minimize errors caused by the human factor. By the end of October 2025, these systems had been introduced in 6,656 stations, the minister said, adding that safety at crossings had also improved, 10,098 barriers had been put under control, and complete track circuits had been implemented in 6,661 stations, which use electric signals to confirm the occupancy of the tracks.
The minister also stated that the Kavach automatic train safety device is being gradually expanded. Its latest version, 4.0, is already operational on key stretches of the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah corridors, he said, further asserting that work to extend Kavach over the remaining parts of these routes is ongoing and the system is also being rolled out on more than 15,000 kilometers of routes covering major freight and passenger networks.
Meanwhile, Vaishnaw had said in October that Indian Railways had been neglected for nearly five decades but was now undergoing a complete transformation under the NDA government, the report noted. Speaking at the 41st Raising Day celebration in Valsad, Gujarat, he also revealed that RPF recruitment will now be held annually instead of once every four to five years.
Vaishnaw mentioned that nearly 35,000 kilometers of new tracks have been added in the last 11 years, which he called unprecedented and a key reason why more trains are running today. He added that rehabilitation work is underway at 1,300 stations, of which 110 have already been completed.
The minister further stated that about 60,000 kilometers of railway lines have been electrified, saying that world observers are amazed by these achievements, as even richer countries have not been able to electrify so quickly.
