Indian Railways has reported a significant improvement in rail safety, with only two consequential train accidents recorded during 2026-27 (up to June 2026), reflecting the impact of sustained investments in technology, infrastructure, rolling stock and maintenance practices.

According to information shared by the Ministry of Railways in the Lok Sabha, consequential train accidents have fallen from 135 in 2014-15 to just 16 in 2025-26, representing an 88% decline, while the accident index has improved by over 91% during the same period.

The government attributed the improvement to large-scale deployment of advanced signalling systems, expansion of the indigenous Kavach Automatic Train Protection system, better track maintenance, modern coaches and increased investment in railway safety.

Safety Spending Crosses ₹1.20 Lakh Crore

Indian Railways has steadily increased its investment in safety-related infrastructure, with expenditure rising from ₹39,200 crore in 2013-14 to ₹1,20,389 crore in 2026-27.

The upgraded safety ecosystem now includes:

• Electronic Interlocking at 6,671 stations
• Complete Track Circuiting across 6,671 stations
• 10,395 interlocked level crossing gates
• Elimination of all unmanned level crossings on the Broad Gauge network
• GPS-based Fog Safety Devices for train operations during low visibility

Kavach 4.0 Expands Across High-Density Rail Corridors

Indian Railways continues to expand Kavach 4.0, its indigenous Automatic Train Protection system designed to prevent collisions and overspeeding.

As of July 2026:

• 2,490 route kilometres have been commissioned across the Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah corridors.
• Implementation work is underway on 21,937 route kilometres.
• Kavach installation has begun on 7,435 locomotives and 1,200 EMU/MEMU trains.
• More than 94,000 railway personnel, including 57,000 loco pilots and assistant loco pilots, have received specialised Kavach training.

Infrastructure Modernisation Improves Operational Safety

The Railways has also accelerated infrastructure modernisation between 2014 and 2026.

Major achievements include:

• Addition of 36,429 track kilometres
• Construction of 14,362 Road Over Bridges (ROBs) and Road Under Bridges (RUBs)
• Installation of 1.63 lakh km of high-quality 60 kg rails
• Nearly 87,200 km of longer rail panels to reduce welding joints
• 93% reduction in rail weld failures
• 92% reduction in rail fractures
• Production of 49,366 LHB coaches, over 21 times higher than the previous decade

The ministry said these measures have significantly improved train safety, reliability and operational efficiency across the national railway network.

Hospitality & Travel Tourism Impact

The continued modernisation of Indian Railways is expected to strengthen India’s tourism and hospitality ecosystem by improving passenger confidence and travel reliability.

Safer rail operations and advanced technologies such as Kavach can enhance connectivity to leisure destinations, pilgrimage circuits, heritage cities and business hubs, encouraging greater domestic travel. Hotels, resorts, restaurants and tourism operators located along major rail corridors stand to benefit from improved accessibility and increased visitor movement.

Infrastructure upgrades, including modern coaches and expanded rail capacity, also support large-scale events, conferences and regional tourism by making rail travel a safer and more dependable mode of transport for both leisure and business travellers.