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What can be done to make the Railways safer?

Time Posted by IBNLive at 12:40 PM, Oct 21, 2009 | Updated at 12:04 PM, Nov 14, 2009 in India

The Railways is an important link that connects India's human network. Like all infrastructure machinery, the Railways, too has been plagued with is own share of problems. Derailments, accidents, lack of proper maintenance and amenities, safety -- the list is long. Tell us what can be done to make the Railways safer.

less Posted by ramachandran52 at 02:33 PM, Oct 21, 2009

I am at a loss to understand as to how a driver of a running train could take an unilatertal decision to change the track ignoring the signal and ram his train into a stationary train standing in the station. It is totally a human failure. Because of the drivers negligance to change the track the accident has taken place. Railways should see that such faults are not repeated.
Furthermore, the railwys is said to earning huge profits. It can utilise the surplus funds to the safety of the passsengers. Employees should be trained more about the importance of following safety procedures. Those of the employees found not adopting to safety procedures should be shown the door.

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Posted by kv1966 at 06:01 PM, Oct 21, 2009

Railways have a fail safe signalling system which prevents two trains from going on the same track.
Either this is a failure of the signalling system which interlocks the points which govern which route is cleared for each train with the signal aspect or there was a signalling system failure and the signal protecting the route was Red and the driver ignored it which is a shame as a safety margin or overlap is kept free for each signal.
It is high time the operating system for Railways which is signalling is upgraded to provide Automatic Train protection system which prevents such driver errors.
Automatic Train Protection system is mandatory in all developed and developing countries as they value human life whereas it looks that the cost of human life is not considered to be important and hence such neglegience on upgradation of signalling system in Indian Railways.
MAy the Beraucracy in India wake up or else people should wake them up.

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Posted by murlicbe at 10:09 AM, Oct 22, 2009

Trains do not run like roads.. Trains run on tracks set for it by train controllers. The drivers CANNOT SWITCH tracks! This is one fallacy that everyone does not understand. It can be signal failure (just like the suburban failure on the New York suburban failure which led to loss of lots more lives. The signal malfunctioned because of a rogue oscillation which converted a danger signal into a proceed full ahead signal. If you want to know more about this, mail me at delhimurlidhar@gmail.com. I will post the link to you.

As for the lives lost, I can only regret it. None of us can do more than that. Second remember that the first person to lose his life in any head on collision is the engine driver and his assistant. As for importance of safety procedures, yes they are followed due to the first line I have written in this para. I am not condoning any failures nor holding a candle for anybody. Setting record straight. Good wishes.

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Posted by kpvidya1999 at 01:56 PM, Oct 21, 2009

So many accidents and mishaps must be occuring in the railways everyday. It is only when travelling public are killed that it makes NEWS. Root causes should be identified even for minor mishaps and corrective and preventive actions need to be identified and incorporated into the operating procedure. It boggles the mind how 2 trains can be on the same track. The railways does a mischief on the public by not going public about the accident investigations done earlier. Since the findings are 'secret', nothing emerges. Lot of publicity is to be given by media to highlight all such improvements. The media, unfortunately is only after newsmongering and do not follow up on any issue. It is necessary that the minister should ensure that the railways are run by professionally competent people and not by bumbling, incompetent, sycophantic IAS / ministry scum or the reservation kind of incompetents. Maybe she has no time for safety issues ( see the budget, for proof ) and is fully busy in Bengal politics. This is another great sign of SUPERPOWER status (after the H bomb which seems to have been a dud).

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Posted by dynamiclibran at 01:47 PM, Oct 21, 2009

Railways in INdia: the safety levels vary as the wheels cross the geography of this very multicultural land.

India has always lacked to grow up because of this ATTITUDE towards cleanliness... and that can be reflected even in transports - like trains.

the hygiene systems have to revamped and more money should be poured in maintainance.

for safety measures: patrolling by police can be done easily per bogie --- Indian govt shud not complain that there is lack of police officers -- bcoz we hear that unemployement is at the peak in our country...
travellers feel unsafe in some particular states and i feel tht there is no fault of railways in that... the state shud be made crime free...
stations should be kept equally clean and not be allowed to take baths and set up a temp home.

Accidents: the railway ministry has to check regularly on the quality of trains ..

one cannot make every train like Rajdhani -- because there are small villages also and one cannot avoid them.

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less Posted by sbhattacharjee at 12:55 PM, Oct 21, 2009

Dear Sir

This is a very intriguing question ans nobody has a correct and an appropriate answer to offer.

Nothing is perfect in this country, how could one assume about Railways being perfected
Thanks
Rgds
Shyamal Bhattacharjee
Bangalore

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Posted by sathishb at 03:22 PM, Oct 21, 2009

It is in the attitude of each and every one of the people rested with responsibilities. If those with authority act sincerely, then things would change dramatically. since those in the high position itself are corrupt, people under them are following or forced to follow their way.

From a comman man point of view, tell me if you ever felt that you could do something to improve the situation in the railways? Say for instance, if you have taken care of not to thro the waste thru windows instead put them in waste bins?? Lets change and then lets expect the same from others...

Please dont ask me if i am responsible enough, frankly NO. From now on, let me try to be more responsible.

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Posted by amit-singhal at 07:24 PM, Oct 21, 2009

Hi,
Whatever you said is true. We should not forget the our duty as the citizens. But while citing that I still remember when I visited India after a long trip of Singapore. To throw every single piece of waste I was looking for the waste-bin but hardly I could find one at the public places in India.
Its very unfortunate the too many people lost their life in this accident.
India is still way behind the developed countries when it comes to the safty regulations. I think we need overhaulling in all the aspects. India as a nation is getting rotten and we need to do something very fast to stop that.
God Bless our country.

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