India train derailment

[bikkuri bahn]

It seems rail accidents in India always lead to grim body counts, perhaps due to overcrowding.  That, and a poor safety record, should be addressed before building of HSR lines occurs, IMO.

 

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/kalka-mail-accident-rescue-train-reaches-delhi/166472-3.html

 

Opinion piece, points to Railway minister for neglecting her duties and improving safety:

http://expressbuzz.com/opinion/editorials/headless-railways-leaves-a-gaping-safety-void/292817.html

[john_ibw]

I don't think we will have HSR anytime soon. I am from Bangalore and I am excited that we are finally going to have commuter trains for the city.

 

I agree with the overcrowding and safety record. But, with 1.2 billion population and about 35 to 40 % below poverty line, I have to say that they are doing the best they can with what is available to them. If I am not mistaken it is the largest railway network and the largest employer in the world.

[cteno4]

i agree with john after riding indian rail myself. it is a pretty rough and tumble system with lots of overcrowding, but with the scale they are dealing with and average worker's salary you can see they are doing the best they can. agreed that better safety is always the first priority, but with the pressure their system is under i can understand it always is not highest on the list.

 

I did not feel like riding indian rail was life threatening to me or observe horrible safety things that i could dont directly avoid. i did witness commuter cars that were packed to the gills with open doors underway and folks sort of hanging on in the doorways.

 

i can see india having similar issues to the US with HSR as their population centers are spread out over large distances as well. they dont have the capital/government structure to push through massive long distance HSR.

 

cheers

 

jeff