Since taking office on July 7, 2021, as the Union Minister of Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw has focused on modernising Indian Railways, improving safety and introducing advanced technologies. Despite these efforts, the railway sector has faced numerous accidents during his tenure, raising concerns about the effectiveness of safety measures. While Vaishnaw has worked on enhancing infrastructure and implementing new technologies to prevent accidents, the frequency of such incidents highlights deeper systemic issues that continue to demand attention. In the past five years, data from 17 railway zones shared by Indian Railways shows that 351 people lost their lives and 970 others were injured in 200 major railway accidents, according to a report in The Hindu.

Following the stampede at New Delhi railway station on February 15 that claimed 18 lives, the opposition parties demanded the resignation of the Railway Minister, holding him responsible for the incident. Several Congress and AAP leaders demanded resignation of the Railway Minister and accused the government of “gross mismanagement”. The opposition also expressed concern over the lack of crowd control and alleged a cover-up of the death toll. 

Furthermore, the deadliest train accidents under Vaishnaw’s leadership was the 2023 Odisha train collision on 2 June, near Bahanaga Bazar station, which claimed the lives of 296 people and injured over 1,200. This catastrophic incident occurred when the Coromandel Express collided with a stationary freight train, then crashed into another train. 

Other devastating events included the Kanchanjungha Express collision on 17 June, 2024, in Darjeeling, which resulted in 11 deaths and at least 60 injuries due to over-speeding and faulty signaling, were also horrific. 

Furthermore, the Kottavalasa train collision on 29 October, 2023, in Andhra Pradesh led to 14 fatalities and 50 injuries, while the Jalgaon train accident on 22 January, 2025, killed 13 people after a false alarm led to passengers being struck by an incoming train. Here’s detailed report of all the accidents – 

25 August, 2021 – Four coaches of the Saraighat Express derailed near Chaygaon, Assam, but no casualties occurred.

13 January, 2022 – A tragic accident occurred when the Bikaner–Guwahati Express derailed near New Domohani railway station in Mainaguri, Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal. The incident resulted in the death of nine people.

13 February, 2022 – A potential disaster was averted when a shepherd discovered a broken rail on the New Delhi–Mumbai main line and promptly reported it to the authorities, preventing any serious accident.

4 March, 2022 – A passenger sustained injuries after slipping and falling between the platform and a moving train at Surat railway station in Gujarat.

4 April, 2022 – The Pawan Express derailed near Nashik, Maharashtra, injuring two people.

2 January, 2023 – The Suryanagri Express derailed near Marwar Junction railway station, injuring ten passengers.

3 April, 2023 – A man set fellow passengers on fire aboard a train in Elathur, Kozhikode, Kerala, leading to the deaths of three individuals, including a two-year-old girl, and injuries to eight others.

15 May, 2023 – A coach of the Chennai-Bangalore Double Decker Express derailed near Bisanattam, Kolar district, Karnataka. Fortunately, no casualties or injuries were reported.

2 June, 2023 – The 2023 Odisha train collision near Bahanaga Bazar station in Odisha’s Balasore district was the deadliest crash in India’s history, claiming the lives of 296 people and injuring over 1,200 when 21 coaches of the Coromandel Express collided with a stationary freight train, then smashed into another train.

8 June, 2023 – The last coach of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway derailed near Coonoor station in Tamil Nadu, but no significant injuries occurred.

9 June, 2023 – A coach of the Chennai Central–Vijayawada Jan Shatabdi Express derailed near Chennai Central while heading to the parking shed.

11 June, 2023 – The final coach of a Chennai suburban EMU derailed near Basin Bridge station, Chennai, with no casualties reported.

22 June, 2023 – A coach of the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Chennai Central Weekly Express caught fire near Vyasarpadi station in Chennai due to friction from the overhead power lines. No injuries occurred.

25 June, 2023 – Two freight trains collided near Ondagram railway station in West Bengal’s Bankura district.

7 July, 2023 – Three coaches of the Falaknuma Express caught fire between Bommaipally and Pagidipalli in Telangana, though there were no casualties.

23 August, 2023 – A construction accident near Sairang in Mizoram resulted in the deaths of 36 migrant workers when a railway bridge collapsed over the Kurung River.

26 August, 2023 – A tragic fire broke out in a special coach of the Bharat Gaurav tourist train stationed near Madurai, Tamil Nadu, killing nine people and injuring 20. The fire was caused by an illegally smuggled cylinder.

23 September, 2023 – A fire broke out in the Sri Ganganagar–Tiruchirappalli Humsafar Express while crossing Valsad station in Gujarat, though no injuries were reported.

26 September, 2023 – An EMU train derailed and climbed onto a platform at Mathura station in Uttar Pradesh.

11 October, 2023 – Six coaches of the North East Express derailed near Raghunathpur Railway Station in Buxar district, Bihar. Four people were killed, and over 70 were injured.

29 October, 2023 – Two passenger trains collided near Kottavalasa station in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district, resulting in at least 14 fatalities and 50 injuries.

31 October, 2023 – The Suhaildev Superfast Express derailed near Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. No casualties were reported.

15 November, 2023 – A fire broke out in the Delhi-Darbhanga Superfast Express near Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, injuring eight passengers.

13 December, 2023 – A portion of a 133-year-old overhead water-filled tank collapsed onto the platform at Barddhaman station in West Bengal, killing three people and injuring 34.

28 February, 2024 – Two people were crushed to death and many others were injured when a train struck them near Kalajhariya, Jamtara district, Jharkhand.

12 June, 2024 – A 16-year-old boy was tragically run over by a train on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway near Kurseong in West Bengal.

15 June, 2024 – A 62-year-old man from Kerala died when an improperly chained berth fell on him while he was lying on the lower berth of the Millennium Express.

17 June, 2024 – In West Bengal’s Darjeeling district, about 11 people were killed, and at least 60 were injured after a freight train collided with the rear of the Kanchanjungha Express near Rangapani station due to over-speeding and a faulty signal.

18 July, 2024 – Nearly 12 coaches of the Dibrugarh–Chandigarh Express derailed near Jhilahi in Gonda district, Uttar Pradesh, killing four people and injuring 32 others.

30 July, 2024 – The Howrah–Mumbai CSMT Mail derailed near Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, killing two people and injuring at least 20 passengers.

17 August, 2024 – Around 22 coaches of the Sabarmati Express derailed near Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, after the train hit a boulder.

11 October, 2024 – The Bagmati Express derailed and caught fire after ramming the rear of a stationary goods train at Kavaraipettai station in Tamil Nadu. At least 19 people were injured.

25 October, 2024 – The locomotive of the Vivek Express detached from the coaches near Katpadi Junction in Tamil Nadu due to a broken coupler.

26 October, 2024 – A 69-year-old man was struck and killed by a loose brake shoe from a passenger train near Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu.

27 October, 2024 – The Mhow–Ratlam Fast Passenger caught fire between Runija and Naugaon stations in Madhya Pradesh.

28 October, 2024 – Four passengers were injured when illegal firecrackers exploded on a passenger train from Jind to Delhi near Sampla in Haryana.

2 November, 2024 – Four sanitation workers, including two women, were killed when the Kerala Express ran over them while they were cleaning a bridge near Shoranur in Kerala.

9 November, 2024 – A railway worker was tragically killed after being trapped between the locomotive and power car during a shunting operation at Barauni Junction, Bihar.

13 November, 2024 – A freight train derailed in Peddapalli district, Telangana, causing significant disruption to train services, with 39 trains canceled and 61 diverted.

22 January, 2025 – In the Jalgaon train accident, 13 people were killed, and 15 were injured when passengers of the Pushpak Express disembarked onto an adjacent track due to a false fire alarm and were hit by the incoming Karnataka Express.

How Vaishnaw is working towards strengthening train safety measures? 

In the face of these unfortunate events, the Railway Ministry under Vaishnaw has continued to focus on safety improvements. The introduction of the Kavach system, a train protection and warning system, is one of the notable technological advancements being implemented to prevent accidents like collisions or derailments.

Efforts include accelerating the electrification of railway tracks, replacing outdated trains with more advanced models, and improving the conditions of railway stations. The government has also been investing heavily in track modernisation, improving the signaling systems, and the introduction of AI-based monitoring systems.