
In 10 years, train accidents down by 77% in 2024-25, Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw tells Lok Sabha
Vaishnaw said that Kavach, a technology-intensive automatic train protection system, was commissioned under the Make-in-India initiative within a short period, while many developed countries took a few decades to move towards automatic train protection systems despite having a smaller railway network than India.
He said that the Kavach version 4.0 would be commissioned fully in a day on the Kota-Mathura track. He added that as Kavach technology required an extensive optical fibre network, a 5,856 km-long optical fibre network had been laid, 619 telecom towers installed, 708 stations equipped with data centres, and 1,107 locomotives installed with a software system.
Kavach is operational on 4,000 kilometers of railway track, he said.
Vaishnaw was replying to a question posed by Bhumare Sandipanrao Asaram, Shiv Sena MP from Aurangabad in Maharashtra, during the Question Hour.
Vaishnaw had faced the heat last year after a stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station claimed 18 lives during the Mahakumbh, leading to demands for his resignation from the Opposition.
While the Opposition flagged multiple train mishaps during his tenure, the deadliest train accident under Vaishnaw's leadership was the 2023 Odisha train collision on June 2 near Bahanaga Bazar station, which claimed the lives of 296 people and injured over 1,200 when the Coromandel Express collided with a stationary freight train, and then hit another train.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Deccan Herald
6 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
506 monuments maintained by ASI in Karnataka, says Centre
Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durga Das Uikey told the House that a total of 2,89,236 Individual Forest Rights claims had been received in Karnataka.


Indian Express
6 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Delhi Confidential: Fresh Move
BSP chief Mayawati's decision in May to move out of the government bungalow allotted to her last year left everyone scratching their heads. She had moved into the bungalow — 35, Lodhi Estate — after extensive renovations about a year ago. But in a sudden move, she handed the keys back to the government without any explanation. It is learnt that the government has got a request for allotting another house to her. As president of a national party, she is entitled to a government residence in Delhi. With lawyers raising concerns about congestion and overcrowding in Supreme Court courtrooms, the apex court has now restricted the entry of law interns on certain days to ease the pressure. The move comes after a lawyer on Wednesday reportedly pleaded with a bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and A G Masih to pass over his matter as he was unable to enter the courtroom due to overcrowding. It is learned that the Supreme Court has accepted the Bar Association's request and restricted interns from entering the courtrooms on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays when footfall is typically higher. As INDIA bloc MPs continue to raise the Bihar SIR issue in Parliament, the Opposition parties want a united front outside the House too 'to put pressure on the government'. During a meeting of INDIA bloc floor leaders, it is learnt, the parties planned to hold a march to the Election Commission office in the Capital on August 6 or August 7. Members from all INDIA bloc parties are expected to take part in the march.


Indian Express
6 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Parliament Monsoon Session: Opposition protests over SIR, PM reply continue, both Houses adjourned
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day on Thursday after repeated disruptions by Opposition members over the issue of revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. The House was adjourned soon after Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal made a suo motu statement on the imposition of 25% tariff by the US, asserting that India will take all steps necessary to protect its national interest. Proceedings in the Lok Sabha too were adjourned for the day soon after Goyal made a statement on the US tariff announcement amid Opposition's protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar. The Upper House, earlier in the day, witnessed three adjournments amid uproar by Opposition MPs over no reply by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the debate on Operation Sindoor in the House; they also raised the SIR issue. The first adjournment happened soon after the proceedings began at 11 am; the second one when the House met at 12 noon; and the third when the House met again at 2 pm. The Chair adjourned the proceedings till 4.30 pm as Opposition members continued their noisy protests. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said Opposition MPs had raised slogans demanding the Prime Minister come to the House, triggering uproar from Trinamool Congress MPs. 'The behaviour of TMC MPs is not right… The way Derek O'Brien is behaving is not right,' Rijiju said. He said PM Modi had already replied to the debate in the Lok Sabha for one hour and 42 minutes on Tuesday. 'He (PM) presented all the facts to the nation through the House. The Home Minister (Amit Shah) is capable of replying to the debate,' Rijiju said. He said the government has a collective responsibility, and the Opposition does not get to decide who will speak. As soon as Rijiju finished his statement, the Chair adjourned the House till 4.30 pm. When the House met again at 4.30 pm, Goyal made his statement amid sloganeering by Opposition members. 'The government attaches the utmost importance to protecting and promoting the welfare of our farmers, workers, entrepreneurs, exporters, MSMEs and all sections of industry. We will take all necessary steps to secure and advance our national interest,' he said. The Opposition members continued raising slogans against the SIR and demanding that the Prime Minister come to the House, following which the House was adjourned for the day. In the Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla tried to take up Zero Hour but the Opposition members continued to raise slogans. Birla then adjourned the House till 2 pm. When the Lok Sabha reassembled at 2 pm, it could function for only a few minutes. Amid sloganeering by the Opposition members, papers were laid in the House. Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad, who was in the Chair, urged the members to go back to their seats. When the protests continued, he adjourned the proceedings till 4 pm. Soon after the House met at 4 pm, Birla called for Goyal to make his statement. As soon as the statement got over, the Opposition MPs rushed to the Well and raised slogans. The Speaker then adjourned the House for the day. The House, meanwhile, congratulated the scientists for the successful launch of the GSLV rocket that placed an Earth observation satellite, jointly developed by ISRO and NASA.