THE horrific train crash in India’s eastern state of Odisha should prompt authorities across the subcontinent to review safety precautions, and discuss best practices in order to prevent such tragedies from recurring. Around 280 people have been reported dead, while close to 900 are believed to have been injured in one of India’s worst rail disasters in decades. Tragedy struck on Friday when the Coromandel Express hit a freight train, jumped the tracks and hit another train. As per preliminary investigations, a signal fault is being blamed for the accident. Though India’s safety record has witnessed improvement over the years, more needs to be done to reduce the risk of accidents on the rail network. India maintains a massive railway network, which transports millions of passengers across thousands of kilometres daily.

Pakistan has also witnessed numerous high-casualty railway accidents over the past few years. These include the Ghotki crash in 2021, in which over 60 people perished, while over 70 people died in the 2019 Tezgam train fire when, reportedly, a cooking gas cylinder on board exploded. The fact is that for most people, train travel is the most affordable way to commute between cities, hence it is the state’s responsibility to ensure that people get to their destinations in safety and comfort. Admittedly, Pakistan has failed to invest adequately in the modernisation of its railway network, inherited from the British. There are major issues with track maintenance as well as the signalling system, while unmanned level crossings also pose a threat to public safety. India intends to address the safety loopholes by installing an anti-train collision system across the network, though progress in this regard has been slow. In fact, railways’ safety is one area where Pakistan and India can cooperate, considering that both systems are products of the same colonial stock, though India’s rail network has raced ahead of Pakistan’s. Where Pakistan’s railways are concerned, the system needs an overhaul and investment to ensure passenger safety and comfort. The track needs to be modernised, and in this respect, the upgrade of the ML-1 under CPEC has been discussed. A viable railway network — undergirded by a stringent safety regimen — is essential for affordable passenger and freight transportation, and regional states can share their knowledge and experiences to make train travel safer for all.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2023