Indian Railways: The Economics of a Giant
Safety, Accidents and Kavach
How Indian Railways has cut accidents over decades, what caused recent tragedies, and the economics of investing in safety systems like Kavach.
Railway safety is a major public concern.
Long-term improvement
Consequential train accidents have fallen sharply over decades, from hundreds a year in the early 2000s to far fewer in recent years.
Recent tragedies
The Balasore accident in Odisha in June 2023, involving three trains, killed nearly 300 people, showing that serious risks remain.
Causes of accidents
- Signalling failures and human error.
- Track defects.
- Level crossings.
- Overcrowded lines.
Kavach
Kavach is India’s indigenous automatic train protection system. It can apply brakes automatically if a train passes a red signal or risks collision.
- Initially installed on limited routes; expansion has been planned across thousands of kilometres.
Economics of safety
- Safety systems are costly, but accidents cost lives, injuries, damaged trains and public trust.
- The Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (2017), a dedicated safety fund, supports track and signalling upgrades.
Level crossing elimination
Railways have eliminated unmanned level crossings on the broad-gauge network, removing a major cause of deaths.
A tired driver misses a red signal. Kavach detects the danger and automatically slows the train, preventing a collision.
They have fallen greatly over decades, though serious tragedies still occur.
- Train accidents have fallen sharply over decades.
- The 2023 Balasore accident killed nearly 300 people.
- Kavach automatically prevents signal violations and collisions.
- Safety investment weighs costs against lives and trust.
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