The number of train accidents increased from 397 in 1998-99 to 463 in 1999-2000, spoiling the Railways' safety image. During the same period, the incidence of train accidents per million train kilometre, which is the uniformly accepted safety index, worsened from 0.58 to 0.65.
According to the latest safety performance report, made public by the ministry of Railways, the 17 per cent increase in the accidents during the period was mainly on account of more cases of derailment (329 in 1999-2000 as against 300 in 1998-99) and mishaps at level crossings (93 in 1999-2000 as against 67 the previous year).
The report says that while the number of fire accidents jumped from 6 in 1998-99 to 21 in 1999-2000, the number of mishaps due to collisions came down from 24 to 20.
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However, the number of miscellaneous accidents -- which include mishaps such as cattle and trespassers getting run over by trains, fire at railway property, trains going over obstructions on the track without derailing and attempted train wrecking -- came down from 448 to 352.
The report has identified encroachment of railway land, growth of large trees along the tracks and spill-over of human activity along tracks as the major problems for ineffective running of trains.
Erection of high intensity illumination along tracks reduces signal visibility, non-adequate drainage leading to water logging along tracks causes failure of track circuiting and the foul smell on tracks in large cities caused due to usage of the railway lines as public lavatories affects maintenance works, the report says, highlighting the kind of problems that often lead to mishaps.
The report has also pointed out that growth of trees planted by forest department as another hazard for the Railways because it reduces signal visibility and the trees often fall on the tracks during storms, leading to derailments.