“In order to improve passenger safety and avoid accidents we are working on integration of the entire system. Our aim is to reach a level of zero-accidents,” he said at a media interaction. Stressing on the importance of integration of systems to avoid accidents, Prabhu said: “We need to bring in modernisation and for that we need investment. We need to modernize signalling and railway-track laying system. We require different types of rolling stock and also varied systems in place for monitoring and above all we need to integrate the entire system.”
The Minister said that the Indian Railway was working with Japan gaining from their expertise in matters of safety and modernization. The Minister praised the Japanese railways saying “it is virtually accident free and has the best record of safety in the world. This is because of the integration of their system.” Stressing the point further, he said, “If you want a virtual rail system then my target will be to take it to the Japanese level to have zero accidents.”
Prabhu also noted that “the use of communication and information and technology was crucial as it drove the entire process”. He explained, “You just cannot have one signalling which is completely oblivious of the rest of the existing system, that’s why integration is so important. It is in fact the key in ensuring a safe travel. Making it possible is not an overnight process, it a long-term one.”
Rail accidents have been a major area of concern for the Ministry, which decided to hold General Managers of the 17 Railway Zones accountable for any mishap. The move came following a report in the Millennium Post, on 16 September 2015, which said, “52 accidents in 5 months, Railways blame human error”.