The train accident near Kanpur in the early hours of Sunday has been the worst since the Assam rail disaster in 1999. The ostensible reason for Sunday’s tragedy was fractures developing in the railway tracks, which also led to coaches piling up, one going on top of the other. About 7,000 commuter trains, 12,000 long-distance trains and 6,000 freight trains run on this network daily, carrying nearly 20 million passengers a day. Not all of the recommendations of the Anil Kakodkar committee, appointed about five years ago to enhance railway safety, have been put into effect. For example, the committee had recommended a railway safety authority independent of the Railway Board.

Source: Hindustan Times November 21, 2016 12:28 UTC