Most train accidents due to human error, not sabotage

The vast majority of the accidents in this period were found to be the result of either equipment failure or human error, said the report tabled in Parliament in March.

Investigations into the crash are looking at various angles. But a preliminary probe has suggested “deliberate interference" in signalling system with the possibility of sabotage, indicating this aspect would also be investigated thoroughly.

Besides, rail minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told journalists in Odisha on Sunday that the “root cause" of the accident and “criminals" responsible for it have been identified.

According to the standing committee report tabled in the budget session of Parliament, between 2017-18 and 2021-22, just three cases of rail accidents were the result of sabotage in a total of about 244 accidents.

Failure of railway staff resulted in 164 accidents and failure of equipment caused 15 of the accidents during the period.

“The chances of sabotage in Odisha train accident looks slim given the nature of the route that also functions with high level of maintenance and surveillance. Equipment or human error may be the cause but the investigations will bring out the true facts," said a former Railway Board chairman on condition of anonymity.

Queries sent to the ministry of railways remained unanswered at press time.

The report doesn’t say who were behind the three acts of sabotage.

The standing committee report further said that of 244 “consequential rail accidents" tracked between 2017 and 2021, the main reason was derailment, accounting for as many as 184 accidents.

One of the reasons for derailment is the slow pace of track renewal by the railways.

A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on derailments tabled in Parliament last year said allotments from the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) —a fund created for critical safety related works by the railways to prevent accidents—have been declining, falling from ₹9,607.65 crore in FY19 to ₹7,417 crore in FY20.

The funds allocated to track renewal works were not fully utilized.

“Out of 1,127 derailments, 289 derailments (26%) were linked to track renewals," the report said.

Derailment has been the cause of almost two-thirds of rail accidents over past five to six years, a fact noted by the CAG.

The standing committee report brought out that RRSK spending on track renewals has fallen sharply from ₹16,262.45 crore in FY22 to ₹2,041.21 crore in FY23 and is projected to decline further to ₹1,400 crore in FY24.

This even though the overall allocation for track renewals from the railways’ record capex of ₹2.6 trillion in FY24 has increased 12% to ₹17,297 crore while the outlay for signalling and telecom works has jumped 73% to ₹4,198 crore.

The Odisha train crash is now being investigated by the CBI.

An earlier enquiry being conducted by the Commissioner of Railway Safety for the south-eastern circle is also underway.