Why do so many trains crash in India? - The Global Story podcast, BBC World Service

A devastating crash involving three trains killed nearly 300 people and injured more than 800 in India’s eastern Odisha state in 2023. It was one of the deadliest train crashes in history. But this isn’t the only crash to happen on Indian railways – one of the largest railway networks in the world.

Lucy Hockings talks to Alessandra Bonomolo – the director of a new BBC documentary called Why Trains Crash - about last year’s collision. BBC India correspondent Soutik Biswas, also joins the discussion to unpack why so many train crashes happen in India. Could the Odisha rail crash have been prevented - and are we doing enough around the world to make our railways safe?

00:00 Introduction
01:18 The Odisha train crash
02:57 Eyewitnesses
03:30 Local pharmacist helps victims
04:47 India's recent train crashes
05:54 A survivor's story
06:49 What railways mean to India
09:06 Safety concerns
10:03 Overcrowding
10:48 Investigation into Odisha crash
12:10 Derailments in India
12:59 New safety procedures
14:06 Impact on families after a crash
15:01 Sentimental railway memories vs crash reality

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[bobbybannerjee]

I am an Indian. We are a country without rules.

[patolbabu]

Steam engines were running faster than Bangalore eranakulam vande Bharat express. 9 hours 30 minutes for 550 kms

[ianupamdey]

3 major accidents also took place in July. luckily no significant causality

[elizabethpinkerton]

One of the best experiences I had while travelling in India was on the trains. I caught one at 2am in the morning and shared a cabin with two women and two children. In the morning the little gas fire came out and she made us all chai. It was wonderful. Even the toilets where very nearly clean!

[landcruiser]

Corruption at every level of safety implementation is the reason

[myblueandme]

why train crash discussion starts with big smiles?

[kalingarajan]

In India the railway minister is a reel minister!!

[basusri]

The Anti Collision device the gentleman is talking about is prohibitively expensive. And it will take years for the Government to install these devices on the main passenger corridors.

[bevturner]

India is the globe's overwhelming rail usage leader, with over 8 billion passenger trips per year making up more than a trillion kilometers traveled.

[RahulRavindran-yjhg]

Lack of skill to maintain complicated systems.

[ginger]

India should learn from china…
Despite hindered they moves progressively
Oops they’re neighboring enemies

[reardelt]

India has 20x more trains than the UK. That’s why. Talk about the % of trains that crash.

[Crepello]

Excellent reporting, especially the detail about the (possible) signal/points wiring issues following maintenance; details which are at the moment still unconfirmed but do sound plausible. If they're right then it was a broadly similar event to the Clapham rail crash in the UK. That led to various changes, both in proceedures and the elimiantion of older rolling stock which was less crashworthy. Sadly it takes events like this to improve rail safety and the same goes for air travel as well. It's a never ending process but the result is that both air and rail are now vastly safer that driving a car.

[somiknag]

The horrific rail accident of last year, is of pure negligence, intense pressure and to some extent conspiracy.

[baymax]

THIS BBC IS LESS POPULAR THAN THAT BBC 😂

[_Rake_sh]

PLZ save your own country from bloody radicals.

[VinodhiniBalasubramaniam]

Why don't you talk about the current violences happening in UK, rather than talking about the old train accidents in India ?

[landove]

The most used mode of transportation, yet far from being reliable.

[boeingpameesha]

My sincere thanks for sharing
, your kind research and information.

[gobimurugesan]

I think we should bring back separate budget for railway.