Even as there has been a slight decline in the number of train accidents after implementation of a series of safety measures, more needs to be done
Twenty-five students died and several others suffered injuries when a school bus was hit by a passenger train at an unmanned railway level crossing in Masaipet village of Medak district, Telangana, on July 25, 2014. Reportedly, the driver of the school bus was busy talking on his cell phone. He was blissfully unaware of an approaching train.
The Railway Act, 1989, establishes the railways’ right-of-way when a road crosses a rail track at a level crossing, manned or not. Section 161 of the Railway Act states, “If any person driving or leading a vehicle is negligent in crossing an unmanned level crossing, he shall be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to one year.” Additionally, Section 131, of the Motor Vehicles Act requires that “Every driver of a motor vehicle at the approach of any unguarded railway level crossing shall cause the vehicle to stop and the driver of the vehicle shall cause the conductor or cleaner or attendant or any other person in the vehicle to walk up to the level crossing and ensure that no train or trolley is approaching from either side and then pilot the motor vehicle across such level crossing”.
Furthermore, the section requires that “where no conductor or cleaner or attendant or any other person is available in the vehicle, the driver of the vehicle shall get down from the vehicle himself to ensure that no train or trolley is approaching from either side before the railway track is crossed”. Rather a tall order which no body cares to follow, let alone read, as was undoubtedly the case on that fateful day at Masaipet in Telangana. Unfortunately, almost half of all train accidents happen at level crossings, in particular at an unmanned one. Apart from the loss of human lives and damage to rail assets, it disrupts the flow of rail traffic; causes delays and loss of punctuality.
There are in all about 28,607 level crossings in the Indian Railways. Out of which, 19,267 level crossings are manned and 9,340 level crossing are unmanned. For those road users, who are simply careless or try to take a risk by attempting to go over an unmanned level crossing, throwing caution to the winds, sometimes in front of an approaching train, these are virtual death traps.
The railways has spent crores of rupees on television advertisements, to urge road users to be cautious and alert when approaching a level crossing and to spread general awareness. But such efforts have seldom made much of an impact on 70 per cent of the nation's population, who live in rural areas with a limited access to television. For them, such an unmanned level crossing is often the quickest and convenient way to get to the other side of a rail track.
An indigenously developed electronic system with visual as well as audible warning of an approaching train — a standard facility on US rail-roads — that have been installed at a couple of unmanned level crossings on a trial basis across the country have not yet been approved as either there are maintenance issues or vital parts have got stolen. Following the Hindi proverb, Na rahega baans, na bajegi bansuri, Minister for Railways, Suresh Prabhu, decided to simply eliminate the basic cause viz, the existence of an unmanned level crossing. Since closing them down was not an option, the other way was to build a Road Over Bridge or Road Under Bridge, with States bearing half the cost as per existing norms, or converting them into a 24X7 manned level crossing.
Soon after assuming charge in 2014, one of Prabhu's first mission was to achieve ‘zero accidents', which has at last borne fruit with central, eastern and west central railway zones not having any unmanned level crossing.
On an all India basis, from a peak of 70 accidents at unmanned level crossings in 2009-10, it has fallen to 51 in 2013-14, and registered a sharp drop to 20 in 2016-17. Resultantly, 123 human casualties that were recorded in 2012-13, has come down to 40 in 2016-17. The railways has now planned to eliminate all the remaining 7,950 unmanned level crossings by 2019-20.
Train derailments is yet another major cause for human casualty, especially when passenger trains are involved. From 80 casualties in 2009-10 it dropped to 52 by 2013-14. Under the mission zero accidents these are now under Suresh Prabhu's close scrutiny. Besides, a number of measures are being put in place which should start yielding results soon. The Indian Railways may not attain the levels of safety of Japan's high speed trains like Shinkansen, but could reach close enough.
(The writer is a former Member, Railway Board)