The Indian Railways has sought 1.19 lakh crore from the Finance Ministry to ensure there are zero rail accidents. Upgrading the signalling system and strengthening the tracks are going to be the major initiatives for safety of operations.
In a letter written to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Railway Minister Suresh expresses his interest in seeking more than Rs. 1 lakh crore to create a separate safety that would take care of various safety measures including elimination of level crossings by constructing both under and over rail bridge and strengthening of tracks.
It is imperative to strengthen rail bridges and tracks along with upgradation of the signalling system as the railways has decided to not only to increase the speed of trains but also run cargo trains with 25 tonne axle load.
As per a senior rail official, “We will be submitting a proposal to the Finance Ministry to create Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh, a non-lapsable fund, seeking Rs 1,19,183 crore for undertaking safety measures in a significant way to prevent accident”.
The committee formed by Railways includes officials from electrical, signal, mechanical, finance and civil directorates. It made note of the initiatives required for improving safety and accordingly submitted the report to Railway Board.
Since major accidents have been happening at level crossings, it’s important to have preventive measures in places for level crossings through construction of rail under and over bridge.
