Data: How the Number of Train Accidents in India have Changed Over Last 60 Years

Infographic: How the Number of Train Accidents in India have Declined Between 1960-2022

We collated data from Indian Railways year book to check the number of train accidents in India.

(Photo: PTI, modified by The Quint)

Buxar train accident, that has resulted in the death of 4 and injured over 70, has again put spotlight on the broad spectrum of train tragedies in India.

Previously in 2023, the country saw one of the biggest train accidents in Balasore that killed nearly 300 people and injured over 1200 others. The below infographic depicts the trends of train accidents in India over the years.

Total Number of Train Accidents in India

We collated data from Indian Railways year book to check the number of train accidents in India. The data was available from the financial year 1960-61 to 2021-22.

The data shows a massive drop from 14,769 train accidents in the decade between1960-61 and 1970-71 to 1,844 train accidents in the ten year period between 2004-05 and 2014-15.

Most recently, the six year period between 2015-16 to 2021-22 saw 449 train accidents (excluding train accidents from Konkan Railways).

The year book of 2022-23 is not available yet, therefore the data for the previous and current year, which include the big tragedy of Balasore, could not be ascertained.

Derailment, Collisions, Fires: What are the Most Prominent Categories of Train Accidents in India?

The graph shows that derailments have been the most common causes of train accidents in India.

(Graph: The Quint Lab)

Of the 14,769 train accidents that occurred between1960-61 and 1970-71, 11,312 were incidents of derailments. In fact, the graph shows that derailments have been the most common causes of train accidents in India.

The second most common cause is level crossing accidents. Fire and collisions are the third and fourth most common categories of train accidents, respectively.

Deaths & Injuries in Train Accidents in India

Looking at the deaths and injuries data of train accidents of five years between 2017-18 and 2021-22, it is evident that year 2019-20 and 2020-21 saw no deaths in train accidents. In fact, the first year of COVID pandemic – 2020-21 – saw no injuries as well.

Compensation Paid (in Lakhs) for Train Accidents in India

The compensation paid during a year relates to cases settled and not necessarily to the number of accidents/casualties during that year. In the five-year period between 2017-18 and 2021-22, the highest compensation of 6.4 crore was paid in 2018-19.