Indian Railways is not just seeing massive scale up in new trains and an expansion of high speed tracks. But there is also a push to make the rides a lot safer. In a move that’s targeted towards enhancing passenger safety, the Ministry of Railways has directed all zonal railways to carry out regular audits of signalling systems.
Under the new directive, officers of Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) will conduct at least one signalling audit every month. The Railway Board has asked senior officers to take direct responsibility for these checks.
Why the audit of signals are important?
The move by Railway Ministry comes as the rail network expands rapidly with the addition of new lines, modern signalling technologies, and safety systems.
According to a former Railway Board official, who did not wish to be named explained to Financialexpress.com that “Audits are important to ensure that equipment functions as it is supposed to and that staff follow correct procedures for Maintenance and operation of equipment. Also to check no short cuts are adopted by field staff.”
Indian Railways focusing on safety, reliability and maintenance
The audits will cover both newly installed and existing signalling systems. Officials will examine whether installations meet approved standards and assess the condition of equipment, wiring, and earthing. The checks will also review maintenance practices and identify any issues that could affect safety or operational reliability.
Railways have emphasised that proper monitoring of signalling systems is critical as traffic increases and infrastructure becomes more complex. The audits aim to detect gaps early and ensure timely corrective action.
ANI reported earlier that the instructions came in the backdrop of many fatal accidents or derailments in the last three years where failure of signals, particularly in the automatic signalling territory, was suspected to be the reason.
For example in at least two incidents, including the tragic accident involving the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express in South Extern Railway on June 2, 2023, which left about 290 passengers dead and 900 others injured, signals were seen in green for speeding trains to run on the main line but the points were set to the loop line resulting in the collision.
Commenting on this, a former Railway Board official, who did not wish to be named stated that, “With the progressive induction of technology in the system, accidents on account of equipment failure have come down. As a result, the percentage of accidents on account of human failure is going up, although the total number of accidents in recent years has shown a downward trend.”
He highlighted that in 2024–25, there were 31 consequential train accidents, of which 27 were attributed to human failure. The unit for measuring safety performance is the number of accidents per million train kilometres.
“The figure has been 0.03 for the last few years and has been improving over the last few decades as new technology has been progressively inducted, and there has been a constant endeavour to improve the performance of staff through training, counselling, etc,” he added.
Data tracking and compliance under scanner
Apart from physical inspections, officers will also verify data related to system failures and ensure proper reporting and documentation. The Railway Board has asked zones to maintain detailed records of audits and share regular updates.
The directive makes it clear that detailed reports may be sought whenever required, signalling tighter oversight from the central authority.
Commenting on operational challenges in implementing this directive on the ground, the rail expert said, “There should be no operational challenges. IR has Signal Engineering Officers, Senior Section Engineers, and Junior Section Engineers for specified jurisdictions. They have a laid-down schedule of inspections required to be carried out. A system of audit, therefore, already exists. These checks need to be carried out rigorously.”
Conclusion
The move is part of a broader push by Indian Railways to improve safety standards amid ongoing modernisation. With technologies like automatic signalling and train protection systems being rolled out, the government is focusing on ensuring that systems function efficiently and without lapses.
By mandating monthly audits, the Railway Board aims to create a more accountable and proactive safety framework across all railway zones.