Executive Summary:
The Minister of Railways addressed Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 154 regarding train collisions, focusing on safety measures, accident statistics, level crossing management, and compensation. It highlights the reduction in train accidents due to safety measures. The statement includes details about a collision in Cuddalore and outlines steps taken to improve level crossing safety, including interlocking and ROB/RUB construction.
Key Points / Main Content:
Safety and Accident Statistics:
* Indian Railways prioritizes safety, leading to a decrease in consequential train accidents from 135 in 2014-15 to 31 in 2024-25.
* Accidents Per Million Train Kilometer (APMTKM) have improved by approximately 73% during the same period.
* Three consequential train accidents involving collisions at manned level crossings occurred in the last three years and the current year (up to July 20, 2025).
Cuddalore Collision Incident:
* A school bus collided with a passenger train on July 8, 2025, at an non-interlocked manned level crossing in the Tiruchchirappalli Division, resulting in 3 fatalities and 3 injuries.
* An inquiry has been initiated to investigate the accident.
* Ex gratia of Rs. 11 Lakh has been paid to the families of the deceased and injured in the Cuddalore collision.
Level Crossing Management:
* Interlocking of level crossing gates is being implemented based on traffic density and train operations, with 11,096 manned level crossing gates interlocked across Indian Railways.
* In Tamil Nadu, 1,053 out of 1,255 manned level crossing gates have been interlocked, with work underway at 72 more.
* All Unmanned Level Crossings (UMLCs) on Broad Gauge (BG) lines were eliminated by January 31, 2019.
Road Over Bridges/Road Under Bridges (ROB/RUB) Construction:
* ROBs/RUBs are constructed to eliminate level crossings, prioritized based on safety, mobility, and impact on road users.
* 4,402 ROBs/RUBs are sanctioned at a cost of Rs. 1,00,860 Cr across Indian Railways, including 235 in Tamil Nadu.
* In Cuddalore district, 11 level crossings were sanctioned for elimination by ROB/RUB, but 7 RUB works, including one at LC No. 170, are delayed due to lack of consent from the Tamil Nadu government.
Compensation:
* The total ex gratia paid for accidents at level crossings from 2022-23 to 2024-25 is Rs. 16 Lakh.
Impact Analysis:
Indian Railways:
* Impact: Required to maintain and improve safety standards, implement interlocking systems, and construct ROBs/RUBs.
* Action Required: Continue prioritizing safety, expedite ROB/RUB construction, and coordinate with state governments for necessary approvals.
Victim Families:
* Impact: Affected by accidents at level crossings, eligible for compensation and support.
* Action Required: Receive and utilize the provided ex gratia and support.
Tamil Nadu Government:
* Impact: Responsible for providing consent for level crossing closures to facilitate ROB/RUB construction.
* Action Required: Grant necessary consent for level crossing closures to enable construction of ROBs/RUBs and improve safety.
Road Users:
* Impact: Directly affected by the safety of level crossings.
* Action Required: Exercise caution while crossing level crossings and adhere to safety guidelines.
Key Entities Referenced
Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu: Location of a recent train collision involving a school van, highlighting safety concerns at railway crossings.
Tamil Nadu: A state with a significant number of manned railway gates, where automation is being expedited.
Indian Railways: The primary railway operator in India, responsible for safety measures and infrastructure development.
Ashwini Vaishnaw: Minister of Railways, Information Broadcasting and Electronics Information Technology, answering questions in Lok Sabha regarding train collisions.
Lok Sabha: The lower house of the Indian Parliament, where questions about railway safety are addressed.
Manned Level Crossing (MLC) Gate No. 170: Specific location of an accident on the Villupuram-Mayiladuturai Section of Tiruchchirappalli Division, Southern Railway.
Road Over Bridges (ROBs) / Road Under Bridges (RUBs): Infrastructure projects aimed at eliminating level crossings to improve safety and traffic flow.
Southern Railway: A zonal railway of Indian Railways, where the Cuddalore collision occurred within the Tiruchchirappalli Division.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
LOK SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. 154
TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.07.2025
COLLISIONS OF TRAINS
*154. SHRI MATHESWARAN V S:
SHRI DURAI VAIKO:
Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:
(a) the details of number of collisions occurred involving running
train, vehicles or pedestrians at the railway gate crossings
during the last three years and the current year including the
recent one at Cuddalore, Southern Railway;
(b) whether it is a fact that the manned level crossing gate at the
Semmankuppam location was open at the time of the collision of
train with the school van;
(c) if so, whether human negligence and the absence of automatic
interlocking systems were identified as causes of the accident, if
so, the number of students died and got injured in the said
collision;
(d) whether the Government has initiated a high-level inquiry to
ascertain responsibility and identify systemic safety lapses at
the said railway gate and taken action against officers
responsible for the same and if so, the details thereof;
(e) the details of the total number of manned railway gates in Tamil
Nadu;
(f) whether the Government will now expedite the automation of all
manned railway crossings across Tamil Nadu especially those
near schools and if so, the details thereof;
(g) the amount of compensation and support extended to the victims
families and measures planned to prevent such avoidable
tragedies in the future; and(h) the steps taken/being taken by the Government for expeditious
construction of under-pass at the level crossing at Cuddalore?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)
(a) to (h) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
*****STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (h) OF LOK
SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 154 TO BE ANSWERED ON
30.07.2025.
(a) to (h): Safety is accorded the highest priority on Indian Railways.
As a consequence of various safety measures taken over the years,
there has been a steep decline in the number of accidents.
Consequential Train Accidents, which include collisions also, have
reduced from 135 in 2014-15 to 31 in 2024-25 as shown in the graph
below.
It may be noted that the Consequential Train Accidents during
the period 2004-14 was 1711 (average 171 per annum), which has
declined to 31 in 2024-25 and further to 3 in 2025-26 (upto June).
Another important index showing improved safety in train
operations is Accidents Per Million Train Kilometer (APMTKM) which
has reduced from 0.11 in 2014-15 to 0.03 in 2024-25, indicating an
improvement of approx. 73% during the said period.
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2005- 2009- 2014- 2019- 2020- 2021- 2022- 2023- 2024- 2025-26
06 10 15 20 21 22 23 24 25 (up to
Covid year Covid year Jun'25)During the last three years and the current year 2025-26 (upto
20th July 2025), total 3 consequential train accidents involving
collision on Manned Level Crossings Gates took place on Indian
Railways.
A Collision incident of a school bus with the passenger train (DN
56813 Passenger) took place in the morning of 08.07.2025 at the non-
interlocked Manned Level Crossing (MLC) Gate no. 170 on the
Villupuram - Mayiladuturai Section of Tiruchchirappalli Division of
Southern Railway. In the said incident, 3 persons lost their lives and 3
persons sustained simple injuries. Inquiry has been set up to
investigate the accident.
Accident victims are paid ex-gratia relief soon after an accident
or untoward incident. The total amount of ex-gratia paid by the
Railways to the next of kin of deceased and injured victims in train
accidents involving accidents at level crossings during the last three
years from 2022-23 to 2024-25 is Rs.16 Lakh. In the Cuddalore collision
case, an ex-gratia amount of Rs. 11 Lakh has been paid to the next of
kin of deceased and injured individuals.
Interlocking/Elimination of Level Crossings
Interlocking of level crossing gate is a mechanism which ensures
that signals protecting LC Gate can only be displayed for a train to
proceed when the route is clear and the level crossing gate is closed
and locked. It ensures safe passage of trains and road traffic.
Interlocking of Level Crossing Gates is provided based on traffic
density and various aspects of train operations as per provision ofIndian Railway Signal Engineering Manual (IRSEM). Interlocking of LC
Gates is a continuous and ongoing process.
Presently 11,096 manned level crossing gates have been
interlocked on Indian Railways. In Tamil Nadu, 1,053 manned level
crossing gates have been interlocked so far out of total 1,255 manned
level crossing gates in the State. Further, the interlocking work has
been taken up at 72 manned level crossings in the State.
All Unmanned Level Crossings (UMLCs) on running lines of Broad
Gauge (BG) network of Indian Railways have been eliminated by
31.01.2019.
Construction of Road over Bridges/Road under Bridges
Level Crossings (LCs) are eliminated either by providing Road
over Bridges/ Road under Bridges (ROBs/ RUBs) in lieu of LCs or
through direct closure (for low traffic LCs) or by diversion of road
traffic to nearby ROB/RUB/LC depending upon the site conditions.
Sanctioning and execution of works of Road Over Bridges/ Road
Under Bridges (ROBs/RUBs) in lieu of LCs is a continuous and ongoing
process on Indian Railways. Such works are prioritized and taken up
on the basis of its impact on safety and mobility in train operations
and impact on road users.
Nos. of ROBs/ RUBs constructed on Indian Railways during the
period 2004-14 vis-a-vis 2014-25 (June’25) is as under:
Period ROBs/ RUBs constructed
2004-14 4,148 Nos.2014-25 13,426 Nos.
(June’25) (including 747 Nos. in the State of Tamil Nadu)
As on 01.04.2025, 4,402 Nos. ROBs/ RUBs are sanctioned at the
cost of Rs. 1,00,860 Cr on Indian Railways including 235 Nos. Road
Over Bridge (ROB)/Road Under Bridge (RUB) at the cost of Rs. 4,669
crore in the State of Tamil Nadu, which are at various stages of
planning and execution.
There are 92 Nos. LCs in Cuddalore district, out of which 11 Nos.
LCs were sanctioned for elimination by ROB/RUB. However, due to
Non-receipt of consent for LC closure for construction of RUB from the
Govt. of Tamil Nadu, 07 Nos. RUB works including RUB in lieu of LC
No. 170 could not be taken up.
Nevertheless, State Govt is being continuously requested to
grant the required consent for the closure of the aforesaid LC gates so
that construction of ROB/RUBs in lieu of LC gates can be taken up.
Completion and commissioning of ROB/RUB works depend on
various factors like cooperation of State Governments in
giving consent for closure of LCs, fixing of approach alignment,
approval of General Arrangement Drawing (GAD), land acquisition,
removal of encroachments, shifting of infringing utilities, statutory
clearances from various authorities, law and order situation in the
area of project/work sites, duration of working season in a year for the
particular project/area due to climatic conditions etc. All these
factors affect the completion time of the projects /works.
*****