Twitter A train completely derailed off its tracks, killing at least two passengers

The Sealdah-Ajmer Express train was on its way to Kanpur, India, when all 15 of its carriages derailed, around 5:20am local time.

Heaps of rail traffic has been caused on the busy Kanpur route, which will affect the busy rail route, according to railway officials.

An official said: "The 15 carriages of the Sealdah-Ajmer express train 12988 derailed in the early hours.”

Twitter The 15 carriage long train left 28 people fighting for their lives in hospital

Rescue teams are desperately trying to quickly recover as many passengers from the carnage as possible, as reports suggest up to 24 passengers have been hospitalised.

Suresh Prabhu, the Union Railway Minister, tweeted: “The injured already started getting medical care. Doctors are attending to all. We are working with hospitals and district administrations to offer all possible help.”

He added: “A thorough investigation will be carried out to ascertain the cause.”

According to police, the two people who died fell out of the train and into a dry canal bed, but all other passengers have been evacuated.

Rizwan Chaudhary, a passenger said he had fallen asleep during the peaceful ride, but suddenly woke up after hearing a loud bang.

Twitter November's train crash killed 125 people who were crammed in 14 carriages

He said: “Our coach tilted to one side. I jumped out and saw a few coaches were derailed.”

This is the second rail crash that has occurred in the region within the last six weeks.

INDIA TRAIN DISASTER: Two dead and 61 injured after a train derailed Wed, December 28, 2016 At least two people have died and another 61 were injured after a train derailed in north India, close to the site of a previous rail accident that killed 146. Play slideshow EPA 1 of 10 Relief and rescue workers gather on the site of an accident where an Ajmer-Sealdah Express train derailed some 50 km from Kanpur, India, 28 December 2016

Twitter Indore Patna express derails in Kanpur

In November, 127 people were killed and 150 injured when 14 coaches of a passenger train slid off the track.

According to the Indian Railways, 87 per cent rail accidents which occur in India, are blamed on poor maintenance, outdated equipment and human error.



</s>A train derailed in northern India on Wednesday injuring at least 43 people, police and rail officials said, at least the third such accident in recent weeks that has raised concerns about the safety of the ageing rail network.

The train derailed near the city of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh state early in the morning.

All the injured, several of whom were in critical condition, had been taken to nearby hospitals, Javeed Ahmad, director general of police, Uttar Pradesh, said in a tweet.

TV footage from the scene showed mangled, toppled carriages, some with their wheels still on the tracks. Two coaches had fallen off a bridge into a small canal. Some passengers were seen picking up their luggage from near the tracks.</s>Over 40 people were injured today after 15 coaches of the Ajmer-Sealdah Express derailed near the Rura railway station in Kanpur dehat district. This is the second major train accident in a span of one month. Recently, over 150 people were killed and several others injured when the 14 coaches of the Indore-Patna Express derailed in Kanpur Rural district in November. At a time when Suresh Prabhu-led Indian Railways is looking to radically reform and transform the institution, such incidents raise severe questions on what is being done to make rail travel safer.

What should the priority areas of Indian Railways be? Are enough steps being taken to ensure that passengers are able to complete their train journey without such incidents happening? The Ministry of Railways has recently decided to revise the amounts of compensation payable in respect of death & injuries to the passengers involved in accidents and untoward incidents. And, while Indian Railways has introduced a Rs 10 lakh railway insurance scheme that can be availed for just 0.92 paise at the time of booking your ticket, shouldn’t more emphasis be put on trying to prevent a mishap? FE Online asked Railway experts, and most of them stressed on the need to invest in upgrading outdated infrastructure and rolling stock.

Professor G. Raghuram at IIM-Ahmedabad, and an expert on Indian Railways believes that multiple things require attention when it comes to making rail travel safer. “The most important is track assessment. We need to check the quality and condition of the tracks and the use of advanced technology needs to be integrated. We are far behind in terms of adapting and using technology. Today, the technology should be so advanced that trains should be able to detect the condition of tracks ahead,” he tells FE Online. “Why should it require people to physically go and check tracks?” he asks. “Also, the quality of rolling stock needs to be assessed. Rolling stock needs to be maintained and new ones need to replace the ageing coaches. Apart from this, signalling systems need to be upgraded, better technology needs to be used,” he advises.

Agrees, Abhaya Agarwal, Partner and PPP leader, Ernst Young India, who is of the view that Indian Railways should spend at least Rs 50,000 crore every year to upgrade infrastructure. “There is immediate need to remove the dust on the Sam Pitroda report (on railway modernisation) and create a time bound plan for investment in infrastructure and safety. That should be the main focus area,” he tells FE Online. According to Agarwal, “there are a lot of announcements being made, but very little of that has to do with upgrading infrastructure and rehabilitation. We need to put in public domain a concrete plan for railway infrastructure, both in terms of new and upgradation of old one.” “There are a lot of bridges that are being used beyond their life, we need to replace tracks, focus on signalling and advanced warning systems. Overall, I believe that the government needs to spend at least Rs 50,000 crore every year just to upgrade and modernise the existing infrastructure,” he adds.

Shri Prakash, former Railway Board member wonders which direction Indian Railways is heading in. “Railways is drifting away right now, there is not much sense of direction. Passenger traffic is falling and revenue generation is also not good. On top of that these accidents,” he laments. “I think Indian Railways needs to maintain the rolling stock and bring in new coaches. That is the most important factor to ensure safety in my view,” he says.

In his Railway Budget 2016 speech, Suresh Prabhu spoke of the the “Mission Zero Accident”. The mission involves two things; elimination of unmanned level crossings and introduction of TCAS (Train Collision Avoidance System). The TCAS is an indigenous technology and Railways plans to equip 100% of the High Density Network with it in the next 3 years. Railways has also initiated a proposal to install TRI-NETRA systems on locomotives for enhancing the vision of Locomotive Pilots in inclement weather. But even as all these steps are taken, there is little doubt that much more needs to be done by Indian Railways to get its act together in terms of rail safety, and urgently too.</s>In 2016, India witnessed the worst railway accident in the world when the Indore-Patna express derailed killing 150 people and injuring 260 others. The government has started taking the Indian Railways on the path to some much needed modernisation.

Start the conversation, or Read more at The Indian Express.</s>Facing a severe cash crunch, the Indian Railways was looking to link passenger fares with inflation, sources said, stressing the need for radical steps to improve the finances of the world’s fourth biggest train network.

The fares could be linked to the consumer price index (CPI), which basically means that with a rise in shop-end prices, fares will also go up.

“Several radical steps need to be taken and this can be one of them. Linking passenger fares with the CPI will enable the railways to recover costs,” an official said on condition of anonymity. CPI index tracks shop-end prices of a select basket of goods.

Though railways ferry 23 million people every day, its passenger earnings are dismal. This year’s losses in passenger earnings are estimated to be around Rs 30, 000 crore, that too at a time when the public transporter needs an additional Rs 32,000 crore to implement the seventh pay panel recommendations.

Fares are a touchy issue, as rail because of cheap tickets and an extensive network is the only mode of transport for a majority of Indians.

With the transporter failing to meet targets for passenger earnings in the first two quarters of this fiscal, the option of raising fares in the upper-class travel is limited. “But linkage with the CPI will enable the railways to raise fares of the unreserved class without attracting adverse reactions. Fares can be adjusted in accordance with the CPI calculations on a quarterly or half yearly basis,” the official said.

The suggestion, one of many, was made during a rail shivir (introspection camp) addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Haryana’s Surajkund in November, sources said.

At present, freight earnings subsidise passenger fares. For every rupee earned by the railways, 66 paise come from freight and only 28 paise from passenger fares.

Recovery from ticket sales is among the lowest in India. The Indian Railways earns just 1 cent from each passenger as against 9.4 cents earned by the Japan Railways, 6.7 cents by the Russian Railways, 6.2 cents by the Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) and 2.7 cents by the Chinese Railways, says a 2012 World Bank study.

Read | Railway fare hike on the anvil as Jaitley hints at paying more for services

The Modi government recently introduced “dynamic pricing” for a certain category of trains but has refrained from taking the “tough” decision of raising fares of the unreserved or general class passengers.</s>NEW DELHI: A train derailed in India on Wednesday injuring 61 people, police and rail officials said, the third significant accident in recent months that have raised concern about the safety of the ageing rail network.

The train came off the tracks and crashed near the northern city of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh state early in the morning.

"Our latest assessment is that 61 people got injured in the accident and two sustained grievous injuries," said Anil Kumar Saxena, spokesman for Indian Railways.

The train had just pulled out of the station and its speed was "rather slow", he said.

Television footage from the scene showed mangled, toppled carriages. Two coaches had fallen off a bridge into a small canal while some passengers were seen picking up their luggage from near the tracks.

India's creaking railway system is the world's fourth largest. It runs 11,000 trains a day, including 7,000 passenger trains carrying more than 20 million people.

But it has a poor safety record, with thousands of people dying every year in derailments, collisions and other accidents.

This was the third accident significant in recent months.

On Nov. 20, at least 146 people were killed when a train derailed near the same city.

A train rammed into a van taking children to school at a level crossing in north India in July, killing eight of them.

Railways minister Suresh Prabhu has promised to replace old tracks and upgrade safety systems. The government spends more than 90 percent of the railways' revenues on operational costs, leaving little for upgrades of the colonial-era system.

Some analysts estimate the railways need 20 trillion rupees (US$293.21 billion) of investment by 2020, and India is turning to partnerships with private companies and seeking loans from other countries to upgrade the network.</s>LUCKNOW, India (WHTM)- At least two people were killed and 38 others hurt when more than a dozen coaches of a train derailed today in Northern India.

Police say two of the coaches fell off a bridge into a dry canal bed.

This is the second recent rail accident in the country. Last month 127 people were killed when several coaches of a passenger train slid off the track.</s>In the early hours of Wednesday morning around 5.20 am, Sealdah-Ajmer Express, passing through Kanpur Dehat district in Uttar Pradesh, derailed while it was crossing a railway bridge over a dry canal in Pukhrayan. Initial reports suggested that two passengers were killed and over 40 passengers injured in the accident when 15 of its coaches derailed, with two of them falling into the canal bed. Ministry of Railways, however, clarified that there were no fatalities so far. Rescue teams were immediately rushed to the accident site to pull out passengers from the mangled remains of the train coaches.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu assured that the accident would be thoroughly probed to ascertain its cause. “Personally monitoring the situation in wake of unfortunate derailment of Sealdah-Ajmer express near Kanpur. Have directed senior officials to reach the site immediately. Immediate medical help being provided to the injured. Mobilized resources,directed all concerned to ensure rescue and relief. Thorough investigation will be carried out to ascertain the cause,” Prabhu said in a series of tweets. However, Railway spokesperson Anil Saxena, when asked about the reason behind the derailment, said, “there was dense fog in the morning”. He added that financial assistance would be extended to the accident victims.

For passengers who have been safely evacuated from the train, alternate travel arrangements have been made, said Khanpur Dehat District Magistrate, Kumar Ravikant. The Railways has put out the following help line numbers for further assistance: 0512-2323015, 2323016, 2323018. At least four trains have been diverted due to debris on the track. This was the second such accident in two months. In November, nearly 150 passenger were killed and 200 injured when the Indore-Patna Express train derailed near Kanpur.</s>At least 14 coaches of Sealdah-Ajmer express has derailed near Kanpur, early in the morning today. This comes more than a month after Indore-Patna Express derailed near the same city in which more than 140 people had lost their lives.

As per reports, at least 2 people, were killed and 28 others were injured in the incident. Soon after the incident, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said that he was personally monitoring the incident and had directed the senior officials to reach the spot. He also added that through inquiry will be carried out to ascertain the cause of the accident. Railway aauthoritieshave also shared the helpline numbers.

The minister further said that ex gratia will be paid to injured and all passengers are being provided with necessary steps to ensure least inconvenience. Earlier, as per Indian Railways spokesperson Anil Saxena, there was no indication of any casualties and medical teams has reached the spot. He added that there could be some minor injuries due to the derailment.

As per initial reports, 15 coaches of the train got derailed and first 5 & last 3 coaches were intact, he added.

Superintendent of Police Prabhakar Chaudhary, while speaking of the train accident, said that the accident occured near Kanpur and reason was not not immediately known.

Ahmed Javed, the top police officer in tne state, also said that all passengers have been evacuated from coaches.

Last month, Indore-Patna Express had derailed near Kanpur, in which at least 140 people were killed and several people were injured. It was one of the biggest train accident in recent times.</s>Kanpur, Dec 27: At least 44 passengers were injured after 15 coaches of the Ajmer-Sealdah express train derailed near Rura railway station in Kanpur dehat district on Wednesday at 5.30 am. Fifteen bogies of train number 12987 have derailed.

While initial reports suggested that two passengers had died, the Ministry of Railways clarified that there has been no deaths reported as yet.

Rescue operations are already underway. Several rescue teams have been rushed to the spot. The cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained. There have been no reports of casualties as yet.

These are the Indian Railways' helpline numbers

#WATCH 14 coaches of Train no 12988 #AjmerSaeldah express derail near Roora (Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh). Several injured. pic.twitter.com/s3VRDUavlu — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 28, 2016

Rescue teams have managed to evacuate several passengers. Some reports suggest that 16 passengers have been rescued so far. The Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh tweeted, "Derailment near Rura Kanpur. Rescue going on. 16 rescued admitted to hospital. No casualty so far."

It may be recalled that on November 21 143 persons had died after the Indore-Patna Express went off the tracks near Kanpur.

The Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu says that he is personally monitoring the situation in the wake of the unfortunate accident. I have directed all senior officials to immediately reach the site and ensure that medical help is provided to the injured. A thorough investigation will be carried out to ascertain the cause of the accident, the minister also said.

The minister also said that ex gratia will be paid to all the injured persons. All passengers are being provided with necessary assistance, he also said. Anil Saxena the spokesperson for the Railways says that there is no indication of any casualties as of now. A medical relief team has reached the spot, he also said. He further said that as per preliminary reports 15 coaches of the train derailed. The first 5 and last 3 coaches were intact he also added.
The Ajmer–Sealdah Express operated by Indian Railways derails in northern India killing at least two people and injuring dozens. Twenty four people have been hospitalised.