Not a single passenger has been killed in a railway accident in the last 22 months: Railway Minister

- 34,665 railway bridges have a lifespan of more than 100 years

New delhi date. Friday, February 12, 2021

According to a report tabled by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal in the Rajya Sabha, not a single passenger has lost his life in a railway accident in the country in the last 22 months. In reply to a question, he said that 34,665 bridges of Indian Railways are more than 100 years old.

"We have paid the highest attention to railway safety in the last six years. The last time someone died in a railway accident was on March 22, 2020. No passenger has died in an accident in the last six months since then," the railway minister said. He also said that for the first time, a Director General of Safety has been appointed in the Railway Board.

According to the Railway Minister, the lifespan of 34,665 bridges of Indian Railways is more than 100 years. The government periodically assesses their actual condition and inspects them twice a year. They are inspected extensively before the onset of monsoon and after the end of the monsoon. Currently a numerical rating system is used to monitor the condition of the bridge.

He further said that the government has no plans to review the current status of classification of bridges and classifies railway bridges as important, small and large based on the need for waterways.