Indian Railways
The government has now become quite serious about preventing train accidents. Because of which railway safety has become the biggest priority for the government. This is the reason why the Central Government is considering making the largest allocation ever for this sector. Sources familiar with the matter told Mint that the proposed expenditure for security-related works could exceed Rs 1.3 trillion in fiscal year 2027. A source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that this allocation, about 12 per cent more than the current year’s budget, will be spent on infrastructure such as renovation of railway tracks and maintenance of rail tracks as well as expansion of India’s indigenous automatic train protection system Kavach.
Expenditure on railway safety will increase
Safety has become a major political and public priority for Indian Railways. This proposed increase will lead to a huge change in capex, and almost half of the total rail capex in FY 2027 is likely to be spent on safety operations. Total capex is estimated to increase from Rs 2.52 trillion to around Rs 2.76 trillion this year. The accident rate has declined significantly over the past decade, but recent incidents have raised concerns about safety. The deadliest incident this year was the collision near Bilaspur, where a MEMU passenger train jumped a red signal and collided with a stationary goods train, killing 11 people and injuring more than 20.
How many railway accidents have occurred?
Railways recorded 31 accidents in financial year 2025 and 10 accidents in the current financial year till November. Such accidents include collisions, fires and derailments, which result in loss of life and property. Between FY 2015 and FY 2024, 748 people died in 678 accidents. Officials say that there has been significant improvement in operational safety indicators. Accidents per million train kilometers reduced from 0.11 in FY2015 to 0.03 in FY2024 – a growth of 73 per cent.
To sustain this progress, the government has expanded the National Rail Safety Fund, under which more than Rs 1.08 trillion has already been spent on the advancement of critical assets. Mint had reported on November 19 that Indian Railways is preparing to increase capex next year. The security budget for FY 2026 is Rs 1.16 lakh crore, which is a marginal increase of only 2 per cent from Rs 1.14 lakh crore for FY 2025. The expenditure on security works in the financial year 2024 was Rs 1.01 lakh crore, while in the financial year 2023 it was Rs 87,327 crore.
More work will be done on the armor
Kavach, designated as India’s National Automatic Train Protection System, is designed to automatically apply brakes in case of unresponsiveness of the loco pilot, including in poor visibility. So far, Kavach has been deployed on 1,465 km of routes and 121 locomotives. Kavach 4.0 is being implemented on 15,512 km of routes, but the total operational coverage is only a little more than 2 per cent of the approximately 67,000 km rail network.
Some experts argue that money alone will not ensure safe operations. Shubhranshu, a railway professional and former head of the Rail Wheel Plant at Bela, said Indian Railways has no shortage of funds for safety, track renewal, new rail wheels or station development; Who also led the design and production of Vande Bharat Express. More than Rs 1 trillion has already been allocated for armour, track renewal, upgrades and new rail wheels over the coming few years.
How much will be spent on safety in 20 years?
He further said that organizational discipline plays a more important role than capital expenditure. Most improvements in safety are possible through proper maintenance, training, accountability, and high levels of incentives. This does not require huge money. Mere investment does not guarantee security. Expenditure on security-related projects has increased significantly over time, from Rs 70,273 crore during FY 2005-2014 to Rs 1.78 lakh crore in FY 2015-2014, a 2.5-fold increase. During the same period, track renewal expenditure increased by 2.33 times, from Rs 47,018 crore to Rs 1.09 lakh crore.
Who will be the focus?
Most of the estimated increase in safety expenditure will be spent on track, locomotive and coach maintenance, signalling, replacement of mechanical signaling with electronic interlocking, interlocking of unmanned level crossings, full track circuiting, high-powered rails, GPS-based fog protection devices and rapid deployment of armour. For FY 2026, the Railways has allocated Rs 22,800 crore for track renewal, Rs 58,895 crore for rolling stock and maintenance, Rs 8,601 crore for traffic facilities and Rs 6,150 crore for electrification.