By Our Special Correspondent
Kochi: A total of 313 passengers and four Railway employees died of train accidents in the 2023-24 financial year, Ministry of Railways said in response to information sought under the Right to Information Act.
The number of deaths and injuries were the highest during 2023-24 and in almost half the number of deaths reported during past 10 years when a total of 719 passengers and 29 employees lost their lives in 638 train accidents.
A total of 744 passengers and five Railway five employees suffered injuries in out of 40 train accidents occurred during 2023-24.
The year 2016-17 recorded the second highest number of casualties with the death of 195 passengers and three Railway employees and 346 passengers and four employees suffering injuries, RTI response said.
“The massive increase in accident deaths and injuries in 2023-24 highlighted , among others, the urgent need to fill vacancies in the Railways. There are a total of 3223 vacancies among gazette cadre alone as of April One 2024 as per Railways records of which 143 are in the Southern Railways, said the Railway Ministry’s response.
In his letter to the Ministry of Finance recently , the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Railway Board, Satish Kumar had raised concerns about the critical issue of manpower shortages in Indian Railways and sought additional staff “urgently” to ensure the safe operation of trains.
Kumar’s letter has highlighted the exponential growth in railway infrastructure, particularly the increase in new lines and trains and emphasized the need for creation of new posts. “For effective monitoring and execution of various projects, maintenance of new assets and the smooth and safe operation of trains, there is an urgent requirement for additional manpower in Indian Railways”, the letter stated.
Underlining the urgent need for more manpower , Mr Kumar noted that the number locomotives increased from 11,739 in March 2019 to 15,564 in March 2024 with an increase of 59.86 per cent. This growth was accompanied by a rise in the number of loco sheds, workshops and running rooms (rest houses for train crews.) Additional manpower was required to operate these locomotives for both passenger and freight trains and to maintain the associated assets.
Regarding passenger amenities, the number of escalators rose from 656 in March 2019 to 1436 in March 2024 and the number lifts increased by 196 per cent. Electrification was comleted over 63,456 kilometers of route, completed to 35,488 kilometers previously. On the revenue front, Indian Railways recorded a 40 per cent increase in passenger earnings and a 31.40 per cent increase in freight loading between 2019-20 and 2023-24, he said.
