Worried over the increase in train accidents across the rail network, the Railway Board has called for urgent steps to fill vacancies and reduce the long working hours of locomotive pilots.
According to sources in the railways, 48 consequential train accidents were reported in 2022-23 compared to 35 in the previous year. The number of non-consequential train accidents was 162 in 2022-23, which included 35 cases of Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD). The prolonged working hours of loco pilots due to an acute shortage of manpower was suspected to be the main reason for the increasing number of accidents, particularly SPAD cases, though there were other causes as well.
