Train accidents in India: At least four coaches of the Sabarmati-Agra superfast train derailed near Madar railway station in Rajasthan's Ajmer on the intervening night of Sunday-Monday. Fortunately, there were no reported casualties. However, the rail services on the route were affected on Monday (March 18) as the railways cancelled six trains and the route of two trains were changed.
It is pertinent to mention that train accidents have been a matter of persistent concern. Despite substantial investments in modernization and safety measures, incidents such as derailments, collisions, and level-crossing accidents continue to occur. In the last five years, India has seen many railway accidents which have resulted in huge loss of life and property. Here are some of the major train accidents that occurred in India:
List of Major train accidents in India:
- Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, Odisha: Over 290 people lost their lives and over 900 were injured in a horrific triple train crash in Odisha involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, and a goods train in Odisha on June 2, 2023.
- Andhra Pradesh train collision: On October 29, 2023, a train collision between the Visakhapatnam-Palasa passenger train and the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train in Andhra Pradesh left 14 passengers dead. According to the officials, the accident took place after one of the passenger trains overshot a signal.
- Bihar North East Express Derailment: On the night of October 11, 2023, six coaches of the 12506 Anand Vihar Terminal-Kamakhya Junction North East Express derailed near Buxar’s Raghunathpur Railway Station in Bihar in which four people died while over 70 others were injured.
- Lucknow-Rameshwaram Bharat Gaurav train fire: As many as nine passengers died while 20 others were injured after a fire broke out in the Lucknow-Rameshwaram Bharat Gaurav train which was halted near the Madurai junction at around 5.15 am on August 25, 2023. According to the initial inquiry, it came to the fore that the passengers had smuggled a gas cylinder on the train and cooked in the coach, when the blaze erupted.
- At least 12 coaches of the Bikaner-Guwahati Express derailed in the West Bengal region of Alipurduar, leaving nine people dead and 36 others injured on January 13, 2022,
- On August 23, 20217, nine train coaches of the Delhi-bound Kaifiyat Express derailed near Auraiya, Uttar Pradesh, causing at least 70 injuries.
- More than 20 people were killed and nearly 60 others were injured after 14 of the 23 coaches of the Puri-Haridwar Utkal Express derailed in Muzaffarnagar on August 19, 2017.
