Indian Railways is unequivocally the backbone of the country’s transportation network, responsible for carrying millions of passengers and vast quantities of goods every day. As one of the world’s largest railway networks, it plays an irreplaceable role in India’s economic growth by ensuring cheap mobility for the masses and facilitating the transport of goods vital for trade.
Nevertheless, the past few years have seen a worrying shift in priorities—from necessary infrastructural upgrades to glitzy prestige projects.
This shift has eclipsed glaring safety concerns and operational deficits, which have caused many accidents and exposed susceptibilities within the railway system.
Recent accidents and safety concerns
Reports of rail accidents overwhelm the news, underscoring an escalating crisis. The rise in accidents indicates systemic failures—maintenance neglect, outdated infrastructure, and sluggish uptake of new safety technologies. Notorious crashes starkly illustrate the extent of the issue.
The Balasore triple train collision, in Odisha in June 2023, caused 293 fatalities and left more than 1,100 injured. The Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) said in its report that the tragedy happened due to a signalling failure. The North East Express derailment in Bihar’s Raghunathpur in October 2023 killed four people and left 70 injured. It was caused due to a fault in the tracks. That same month, signal failure and human error led to a collision between two passenger trains in Andhra Pradesh, killing 14 people and injuring over 50.
In February last year, a freight train ran without a driver for more than 70 kilometres from Jammu and Kashmir to Punjab, reflecting operational shortcomings. Then in April, a Mumbai local train derailed, affecting Harbour Line services, another reflection of infrastructure failure. These accidents reflect the pressing need for systemic changes in Indian Railways.
Important systemic problems
Firstly, the chronic underfunding of vital infrastructure and safety measures has been a long-standing issue. Safety-related works in the railways are funded through the Depreciation Reserve Fund (DRF), the Railway Safety Fund (RSF), and the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK). The DRF, meant for the replacement of assets, has been adversely affected by poor allocations, hindering the modernisation of ageing railway infrastructure. Additionally, the RRSK—a safety fund established in 2017–18—has faced irregular funding, with the 2025–26 allocation being a mere Rs 2,000 crore, far short of what is required to upgrade railway safety.
Another key concern is the delay of the Kavach safety system, the country’s automatic train protection system. To date, it has only been deployed to 3,677 RKm of 68,000 RKm. Given the rate at which it is proceeding, implementation to completion will extend beyond 50 years, compromising the ability to gain maximum dividends from this all-important safety innovation in the pre-emption of mishaps.
Moreover, human error and shortage of workforces worsen the situation. As per an RTI reply, about 2.74 lakh posts were vacant in Indian Railways as of June 2023, with over 1.7 of them being safety-sensitive jobs like signaling and track maintenance. The shortage of manpower has led to longer working hours for employees, which increases the chances of errors due to fatigue.
Additionally, the diversion of funds has also increased the inefficiency of the railway network. A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report submitted in 2022 revealed that railway safety funds were diverted to non-core expenses like foot massagers, crockery, and high-end gadgets.
Also read: Delhi rail tragedy—no point blaming Ashwini Vaishnaw but no harm taking a cue from Naidu
Hollow promises of the government
Though the government promises to give importance to modernisation and expansion of infrastructure, the ground situation tells a different story.
Track expansion has been negligible, going up merely by 23 per cent since 1950, while passenger traffic has risen by a whopping 1,344 per cent. Additionally, top priority vanity projects like the Vande Bharat Express or the bullet train project have attracted disproportionate attention and investment, while critical sectors like track maintenance and safety have attracted little investment.
Other issues
The Indian Railways suffers from many ailments that highlight the pressing need for reforms. Among the most striking is overcrowding. An overcrowded train is like a bag of popcorn that’s been shaken too hard—everyone’s jostling around, trying to find a comfortable spot, but there’s just no space to breathe. A general coach meant for 90 travellers will have 180 people traveling on it.
Overcrowding results from the government’s decision to cut the number of general and sleeper coaches and the post-pandemic discontinuation of Jan Sadharan trains, which were essential for low-income commuters. For instance, a train previously had four general coaches but now has only two. At the same time, sleeper class compartments have been reduced from 77 per cent of the total in 2005 to just 54 per cent in 2022, while AC coaches have risen from 23 per cent to 46 per cent. This change seems to reflect a preference for profit over passenger comfort, causing millions to struggle with limited space.
Another pressing issue is the regular cancellation of trains. Over one lakh trains were cancelled on grounds of various reasons over the past five years. This not only creates disturbances in the travel schedules of millions of travellers but also indicates a systemic flaw in rail operation and management.
Delays are no less worrisome. An RTI reply in 2023 revealed that the Vande Bharat Express train, with the permissible top speed of 130 km/h, had been running at an average speed of 83 kmph due to poor track conditions. This paradox is due to the government’s emphasis on high-speed trains and vanity projects but not investing in required infrastructure development, like upgrading tracks and improving operating efficiency.
Also, Indian Railways’ definition of a superfast train, which travels above 55 kmph average speed, raises doubts. In a 2022 CAG report, among 478 superfast trains, 123 had below 55 km/h average speed, showing the disparity between policy and reality. In 2018, the former Railway Board chairman, Ashwini Lohani, had said that while we’re adding new trains every year, the core infrastructure remains neglected.
This imbalance highlights the need for reforms that prioritise upgrading infrastructure over introducing new, high-speed trains.
Also read: Two railways privatisation models for India to learn from—UK & Japan
The way forward
To fix Indian Railways, the focus must shift from vanity projects to critical safety and infrastructure upgrades. Boost funding for safety through the RRSK and DRF with strict oversight to prevent misuse. Fast-track the Kavach system rollout to cover the entire network within a decade. Fill lakhs of vacant posts, especially in safety-critical roles, to reduce human errors. Prioritise track maintenance over prestige projects like the bullet train. Expand general and sleeper coaches to ease overcrowding and improve operational efficiency.
Indian Railways needs a safety-first, infrastructure-driven strategy. By reallocating resources, modernising systems, and addressing workforce gaps, it can evolve into a safer, more reliable lifeline for India.
Karti P Chidambaram is a Member of Parliament for Sivaganga, and a Member of the All India Congress Committee. His X handle is @KartiPC. Views are personal.
“BRITISH OFFICERS IN INDIAN RAILWAYS”-Bossism in Indian Railways.
Absolutely true sir, Railway needs to focus more on safety rather than face lifting station development projects and tripping and quadrupling projects. All the projects are being executed in EPC mode, with project management consultancy (PMC) overseeing the project execution. No one is trained, on how the EPC projects will get executed and its modalities. Indian railway doesn’t care for capacity building of their staff & private institutes, it’s spending has increased many fold in the last few years, yet no mechanism to execute such large scale infrastructure, just throwing money and asking their employees to show the result, pathetic situation for employees especially in the construction, maintenance and operation segments. With many executing agencies like RVNL, RITES, Construction, Gathi Sakthi units looking after various construction projects in the Zonal railways. With no coordination from division, various projects are getting delayed and executed with poor quality due to unrealistic targets. All the green field projects are to be executed by divisional railways itself, so that it can be well planned and properly executed.
The work culture in Indian Railways, rooted in a colonial legacy, often emphasizes strict hierarchy and authoritarian management. This structure has fostered “bossism,” where power is centralized among a few, creating a challenging environment for frontline workers. Despite hard work, labour-class employees like artisans and supervisors frequently experience undue pressure, discrimination, and limited communication with senior officers. This hierarchical and bureaucratic approach hampers efficiency, limits upward communication, and reinforces an outdated system. Such a culture discourages initiative and reduces morale, impacting overall productivity and job satisfaction. Even after 75 years of independence, Indian Railway management is suffering from colonial hangover. If you want to hire great people and have them stay, working for you, you have to let them make part of the decision-making process, and you have to be run by ideas not hierarchy. ‘Ideas should win, not hierarchies’ otherwise good people don’t stay.- Steve Jobs.
For more insights into the working culture of Indian Railways, please refer to the document attached with the link below. Kindly share this document until it reaches the top brass of Indian Railways, for breaking Colonial Shackles..
https://www.scribd.com/document/648826718/British-Officers-in-Indian-Railways
You guys should look into MainLine systems from Rail Vision to address the safety concerns such as derailments or crashes that could save countless lives and money lost through such ordeals. They are already in talks with the Sujan group to enter your market. All the best
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Indian railways need privatisation. Once it is done—speed, safety, punctuality, inefficiency, pricing, infrastructure, overcrowding, etc, will be solved.