Despite the technical advancement, train accidents remain a major area of concern in India. Underinvestment in rail infrastructure and excessive traffic are the main reasons contributing to derailments.
Deadly mishaps happening because of the train derailment over the years have reduced but have continued to traumatize common men in India. To keep yourself updated with all that’s happening around you, you should install new apps download for android.
Here’s a list of the main train accidents that happened in 2017.
- 1. Mahakushal Express Derailment: This incident occurred on 30th March 2017 when Mahakushal express derailed in Uttar Pradesh and a total of 52 passengers in the train were badly injured. This train runs between Jabalpur and HazratNizamuddin station, derailed in the state of Uttar Pradesh near Kulpahar station.
- Kalindi Express Derailment: This incident happened on 20th February 2017. The engine of the train along with three coaches derailed in Uttar Pradesh’s Tundla Junction. This incident happened after the train rammed into an already standing freight train from behind. This was a clear case of excessive traffic of rails on the platform and bad communication.
- 3. Hirakhand Express Derailment: As many as 27 people were killed and around 36 passengers were badly injured in this incident. Nine coaches of the train got derailed in Vizianagaram district in Andhra Pradesh. The train runs between Jagdalpur and Bhubaneshwar station. This misfortune event became a headline, and to make sure that you receive the news on time, install Hindi news app download for android.
- Rajya Rani Express Derailment: The train which runs between Meerut and Lucknow was derailed near Rampur station in Uttar Pradesh on 15th April 2017. Around ten people got injured in this derailment and UP’s chief minister Yogi Adityanath announced a compensation of Rs25000 for passengers with minor injuries and Rs50000 for passengers with significant injuries.
- Utkal Express Derailment: This is one of the latest incidents and probably the last nail in the coffin for the then Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu who was eventually asked to vacate his post of Union Railway Minister during Modi’s cabinet reshuffle recently. Over 23 people were killed in this mishap and more than 40 people were severely injured when this train’s 14 coaches got derailed Khatauli town of Uttar Pradesh. The cause of the incident though remained unknown but was arguably the biggest derailment of 2017.
These casualties in recent past have certainly seen a declining trend, but every human life is invaluable. To make sure that such incidents are kept in check the government has allotted a huge corpus sum to take safety measures which include ultrasonic rail detection system, coaches to have anti-climbing features and speedy track renewal among others. In the 2016-17 budget, the then Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu announced Mission Zero Accident, but it wasn’t meant to be. The nature of derailments got heavier, which eventually, led to his resignation from the post of Railway Minister. Hopefully, the railway infrastructure will see some advancement in near future and government’s Mission Zero Accident.
