Railway accidents can be classified into three categories: 1) death or injury to persons, 2) detention of the track, and 3) damage to property. Common causes of railway accidents include pedestrians or vehicles colliding with trains at crossings, train collisions, derailments due to mechanical failures or high speeds, and human error. To prevent accidents, railways conduct safety seminars, use onboard detection systems, perform regular infrastructure checks, and employ ultrasonic inspection systems to schedule repairs.

1. RAILWAY ACCIDENTS
Prepared By,
Gayathry Satheesan

2. Introduction
• They are the events which does or may affect the safety of the
railways, permanent way ,passengers etc which either does or
may cause delays to trains or loss to the railways.

3. Classification of railway accidents
1. Death or injury to persons
It includes accidents which causes injuries to persons.
• Serious injury
• Minor injury
• Trivial injury

4. 2. Detention of the track
• Interruption through line of communication likely to last 24
hrs or more is considered as serious detention.
• There is no lower limit except on northern eastern railways,
which considered an interruption of less than one hour as the
trivial for the purpose of accidents.
3. Damage to the property
• It includes accidents which results only damages to properties
of railways passengers etc.

6. Causes of railroad accidents
• Pedestrians Hit By Moving Train
• people being hurt or killed as they attempt to walk along a
train track, or to try and cross the track before an approaching
train blocks their path.
• Car Crashes with Railroad Trains
• It happens when motor vehicle tries to cross a train track
when a moving train is approaching.
• Fatal auto accidents also occur when someone stops their car
on the tracks.

8. • In heavy traffic or while waiting for a red light to change, assuming that no
train is near or that they can move off the tracks in time.
• Colliding Trains
• Train collisions are often cataclysmic simply because two huge and heavy
machines are involved, with at least one of these behemoths moving at
considerable speed.
• Derailments
• In a derailment, a train loses its place on the rail tracks and they can cause
tremendous harm.
• This involves a single car, but it can involve a series or cars or the entire
train.

9. • Mechanical Failure
• It can result in a train derailment or collision.
• High Speeds
• the faster the train is moving, the worse the consequences are if it
crashes.
• Derailments are more likely if the train is traveling at high speeds and
the severity of injuries are exponentially increased.
• Irresponsible or Negligent Pedestrian or Motor Vehicle Operator
• In rare cases, a pedestrian or vehicle may be on or near the tracks at the
wrong time, causing the conductor to react suddenly or the train to
derail.

10. • Negligence
• It may be assessed on the part of the railway itself, the railroad
employees, a government agency etc.
• Examples of it includes the faulty operation of a crossing arm
or the failure of a signal light to provide adequate warning.
• Human error
• Human error is always a potential factor in any accident.
• Poor judgment and impaired reactions have contributed to
many avoidable train disasters.

11. Steps Taken To Prevent Train Accidents
• Conduct seminars on Safety measures.
• Onboard detection systems that alert engineers of faulty
components.
• Regular checking
• Ultrasonic and geometric track inspection systems that
gather data with lasers to help more accurately schedule and
identify needed repairs.
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