Topzle Topzle

List of railway accidents and incidents in India

Updated: Wikipedia source

List of railway accidents and incidents in India

Indian Railways operates India's railway system and comes under the purview of the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India. As of 2025, it maintains over 148,706 km (92,402 mi) of tracks and operates over 13,000 trains daily.

Tables

Accidents of Indian Railways · Statistics
Collisions
Collisions
Span
Collisions
Accidents
Derailments
Accidents
Level crossing
Accidents
Fire
Accidents
Others
Accidents
Total
1961–1970
1961–1970
Span
1961–1970
Accidents
834
Accidents
10,664
Accidents
1,394
Accidents
1,037
Accidents
0
Accidents
13,929
Train kms (million)
4,339
Accidents per million kms
3
1971–1980
1971–1980
Span
1971–1980
Accidents
588
Accidents
6,763
Accidents
1,120
Accidents
185
Accidents
0
Accidents
8,665
Train kms (million)
4,810
Accidents per million kms
1
1981–1990
1981–1990
Span
1981–1990
Accidents
475
Accidents
6,242
Accidents
677
Accidents
176
Accidents
0
Accidents
7,570
Train kms (million)
5,598
Accidents per million kms
1
1991–2000
1991–2000
Span
1991–2000
Accidents
340
Accidents
3,583
Accidents
632
Accidents
77
Accidents
0
Accidents
4,642
Train kms (million)
6,559
Accidents per million kms
0
2001–2010
2001–2010
Span
2001–2010
Accidents
135
Accidents
1,680
Accidents
803
Accidents
93
Accidents
52
Accidents
2,763
Train kms (million)
8,333
Accidents per million kms
0
2011–2019
2011–2019
Span
2011–2019
Accidents
43
Accidents
567
Accidents
352
Accidents
54
Accidents
16
Accidents
1,023
Train kms (million)
10,134
Accidents per million kms
0
Span
Accidents
Train kms (million)
Accidents per million kms
Collisions
Derailments
Level crossing
Fire
Others
Total
1961–1970
834
10,664
1,394
1,037
0
13,929
4,339
3
1971–1980
588
6,763
1,120
185
0
8,665
4,810
1
1981–1990
475
6,242
677
176
0
7,570
5,598
1
1991–2000
340
3,583
632
77
0
4,642
6,559
0
2001–2010
135
1,680
803
93
52
2,763
8,333
0
2011–2019
43
567
352
54
16
1,023
10,134
0
Deadliest rail accidents in India · Deadliest rail accidents
20 August 1995
20 August 1995
Date
20 August 1995
Train(s)
Kalindi Express Purushottam Express
Location
Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh
Fatalities
358
Cause
Track obstruction by a nilgai, followed by a rear-end collision.
2 June 2023
2 June 2023
Date
2 June 2023
Train(s)
Coromandel Express Howrah-SMVT Bengaluru Express A freight train
Location
Near Bahanaga Bazar, Balasore, Odisha
Fatalities
296
Cause
Collision and derailment due to signalling error
2 August 1999
2 August 1999
Date
2 August 1999
Train(s)
Avadh Assam Express Brahmaputra Mail
Location
Gaisal, West Bengal
Fatalities
285
Cause
Collision due to signalling error
6 June 1981
6 June 1981
Date
6 June 1981
Train(s)
Mansi-Saharsa Passenger
Location
Over Bagmati River near Mansi, Bihar
Fatalities
235
Cause
Derailment over a bridge, possibly due to a tropical cyclone
26 November 1998
26 November 1998
Date
26 November 1998
Train(s)
Frontier Mail Jammu Tawi-Sealdah Express
Location
Khanna, Punjab
Fatalities
212
Cause
Derailment and collision due to damaged rail
23 December 1964
23 December 1964
Date
23 December 1964
Train(s)
Pamban-Dhanushkodi Passenger
Location
Dhanushkodi, Tamil Nadu
Fatalities
200+
Cause
Storm surge due to a tropical cyclone
20 November 2016
20 November 2016
Date
20 November 2016
Train(s)
Indore–Patna Express
Location
Near Pukhrayan, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh
Fatalities
150
Cause
Derailment due to fractured rail
28 May 2010
28 May 2010
Date
28 May 2010
Train(s)
Jnaneswari Express A Goods train
Location
Near Jhargram, West Bengal
Fatalities
148+
Cause
Possible sabotage by Naxalites
10 September 2002
10 September 2002
Date
10 September 2002
Train(s)
Howrah Rajdhani Express
Location
Over Dhave river near Rafiganj, Bihar
Fatalities
130+
Cause
Sabotage by Naxalites
Date
Train(s)
Location
Fatalities
Cause
20 August 1995
Kalindi Express Purushottam Express
Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh
358
Track obstruction by a nilgai, followed by a rear-end collision.
2 June 2023
Coromandel Express Howrah-SMVT Bengaluru Express A freight train
Near Bahanaga Bazar, Balasore, Odisha
296
Collision and derailment due to signalling error
2 August 1999
Avadh Assam Express Brahmaputra Mail
Gaisal, West Bengal
285
Collision due to signalling error
6 June 1981
Mansi-Saharsa Passenger
Over Bagmati River near Mansi, Bihar
235
Derailment over a bridge, possibly due to a tropical cyclone
26 November 1998
Frontier Mail Jammu Tawi-Sealdah Express
Khanna, Punjab
212
Derailment and collision due to damaged rail
23 December 1964
Pamban-Dhanushkodi Passenger
Dhanushkodi, Tamil Nadu
200+
Storm surge due to a tropical cyclone
20 November 2016
Indore–Patna Express
Near Pukhrayan, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh
150
Derailment due to fractured rail
28 May 2010
Jnaneswari Express A Goods train
Near Jhargram, West Bengal
148+
Possible sabotage by Naxalites
10 September 2002
Howrah Rajdhani Express
Over Dhave river near Rafiganj, Bihar
130+
Sabotage by Naxalites

References

  1. Indian Railways
    https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/stat_econ/2024/Year%20Book%202022-23%20English.pdf
  2. Indian Railways safety performance
    https://loksabhadocs.nic.in/Refinput/New_Reference_Notes/English/15112019_160240_102120367.pdf
  3. Business Today
    https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/economy-politics/story/first-time-in-166-years-indian-railways-reports-zero-passenger-deaths-in-fy19-241448-2019-12-24
  4. The Hindu
    https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/313-passengers-four-employees-died-in-40-train-accidents-in-2023-24-says-rti-reply/article68642890.ece
  5. Jagran Josh
    https://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/top-7-deadliest-train-accidents-in-india-kanchenjunga-express-accident-adds-to-list-1718739702-1
  6. NDTV
    https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/kanchanjunga-express-accident-list-of-deadliest-train-accidents-in-past-3-decades-5908328
  7. The Hindu
    https://web.archive.org/web/20070105131113/http://www.hindu.com/2005/12/24/stories/2005122405580500.htm
  8. Press Information Bureau
    https://archive.pib.gov.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1981-JAN-DEC-MIN-OF-DEFENCE/PDF/DEF-1981-06-12_202.pdf
  9. Argus
    https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/9079905
  10. The Straits Times
    http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19081215-1.2.67.aspx
  11. The Hartford Courant
    http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/738940542.html?dids=738940542:738940542&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Apr+28,+1920&author=&pub=Hartford+Courant&desc=50+KILLED+IN+TRAIN+WRECK+IN+INDIA&pqatl=google
  12. The Barrier Miner
    http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/45538391
  13. Pioneer Mail and Indian Weekly News
    https://books.google.com/books?id=3h5DAQAAIAAJ
  14. The Sydney Morning Herald
    http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16869741/1247131
  15. The Leader-Post
    https://web.archive.org/web/20230309192614/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=c4tTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OzgNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1369,1874723
  16. The Sydney Morning Herald
    https://web.archive.org/web/20230404204036/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zThVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=C5UDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5313,2729313
  17. The Baltimore Sun
    https://www.proquest.com/docview/541089487
  18. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    https://web.archive.org/web/20230404205504/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=f5FRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CmoDAAAAIBAJ&dq=train%20killed%20bombay&pg=2276,6764289
  19. The Indian Express
    https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=19500413&printsec=frontpage&hl=en
  20. 100 killed in train wreck Archived 4 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine, Daytona Beach Morning Journal (8 May 1950)
    https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Cl8pAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NsgEAAAAIBAJ&dq=train%20killed%20delhi&pg=6651%2C5127175
Image
Source:
Tip: Wheel or +/− to zoom, drag to pan, Esc to close.