NEW DELHI: With safety remaining the top priority of Indian Railways, consequential train accidents have declined sharply over the past decade compared with the period before 2014-15. Railway officials said on Monday that such accidents had fallen by nearly 90 percent, with only 14 incidents reported in 2025-26 up to February 28, compared with 135 in 2014-15.
Officials added that, apart from a few minor fire incidents that caused no casualties and were quickly controlled through the Railway’s alert response systems, the overall safety record has improved significantly since 2014-15.
A senior Railway Ministry official said a dedicated “war room” continues to operate under the direct supervision of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at Rail Bhawan. The control centre monitors accidents and incidents in real time and also oversees crowd management during festive seasons at major railway stations with heavy passenger footfall.
Referring to the fire incidents reported on Sunday in Madhya Pradesh and on Monday in Bihar, the official said both situations were swiftly contained due to the Railway’s alert systems, with no loss of life reported. He added that high-level inquiries had already been ordered into the incidents and that the Railways had effectively managed the situations, despite their minor nature.
According to Railway data, 1,711 consequential train accidents were reported between 2004-05 and 2013-14, resulting in 904 passenger deaths and injuries to 3,155 people. In comparison, between 2014-15 and 2023-24, a total of 678 consequential accidents were recorded, leading to 748 deaths and 2,087 injuries.
The figures improved further in 2024-25, when only 31 consequential accidents were reported, resulting in 18 deaths and 92 injuries. In 2025-26 up to February 2026, only 14 consequential accidents were reported, resulting in 16 deaths and 28 injuries.
Railway property damage between 2020-21 and 2024-25 was estimated at Rs 432.91 crore.
At the same time, expenditure on safety-related works has increased substantially over the years. Official data showed that Rs 1,20,389 crore has been allocated for safety-related activities in 2026-27, compared with Rs 39,200 crore in 2013-14. The allocation stood at Rs 87,336 crore in 2022-23, Rs 1,01,662 crore in 2024-25, and Rs 1,17,693 crore in 2025-26.
On measures being taken to prevent fire incidents on trains, Railway officials said that statutory fire notices have been displayed across all coaches to raise passenger awareness. Fire safety posters have also been placed in every coach to educate passengers about the dos and don’ts for preventing fire incidents.
The Railways has further ensured that newly manufactured power cars and pantry cars are being equipped with fire detection and suppression systems, while all newly built coaches are being fitted with fire and smoke detection systems.