Railways Galloping on Modernisation Track

Asia’s largest biannual event on railway transportation (IREE-2025) is being held at Bharat Mandpam in New Delhi from October 15 to October 17, 2025. The conference will be inaugurated by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and will be attended by policymakers, technocrats and journalists from across the globe.

As of October 2025, Indian Railways is the third largest railway network in the world operating over 12,000 trains to carry over 23 million passengers per day connecting about 8000 stations spread across India. Indian Railways run 7000 freight trains per day carrying over 3 million tonnes of freight every day. On November 4, 2024, Indian Railways had transported 30 million passengers, its highest daily count till date. All this became possible under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw played a very critical role in realising this dream with his outstanding management skills. But passenger safety and rake modernisation is still an ongoing process which needs a bit more push from the incumbent union government.

ICF versus LHB rakes

On July 18, 2024, around 10 to 12 coaches of 15904 Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express had derailed at a high speed near Gonda in Uttar Pradesh. The accident had claimed the lives of just two people, while two others sustained grievous injuries. Around 20 people suffered some minor injuries which got treated at a local hospital. The locomotive pilots of the train had also survived the crash. Despite of the intensity of the accident, the casualty figures were minimal as the train was using modern LHB (Linke-Hofmann-Busch) coaches introduced during the Modi era which are much safer when compared to the old ICF (Integral Coach Factory) rakes introduced in the Congress-led UPA era.

Now in contrast to the aforementioned incident, on June 17, 2024, a CONCOR goods train had collided with 13174 Agartala-Sealdah Kanchanjungha Express near New Jalpaiguri station in West Bengal. The crash had reportedly happened at a speed of around 80 km per hour and three coaches of Kanchanjungha Express were totally derailed, while two coaches of the train were mangled beyond identification. The accident killed almost nine people including the loco pilot of the goods train and the guard of the passenger train. The crash allegedly happened as the automatic signalling system in the area wasn’t functional and manual signalling procedures were being followed. The 13174 Agartala-Sealdah Kanchanjungha Express was using outdated ICF (Integral Coach Factory) coaches (introduced during the Congress-led UPA era) during the accident.

Meat grinders of Congress era

The age old ICF rakes introduced during the Congress-led UPA era have been proved as a big safety menace time and again. On January 13, 2022, a derailment of the 15633 Bikaner-Guwahati Express occurred in North Bengal which killed 9 passengers and injured 50 people. That train was also using Congress era ICF coaches during the crash. The CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) has repeatedly warned the government in the past against the usage of ICF rakes and has asked the government to replace all ICF rakes with modern LHB (Linke-Hofmann-Busch) coaches made from stainless steel to make rail travel safer for passengers.

In November 2020, the CAG in its audit report said that ICF coaches have led to 98 percent more deaths as compared to LHB coaches. According to the CAG report, out of 20 train accidents (including derailments and collisions) between 2014 and 2018, 17 trains had ICF and three had LHB coaches. In accidents of trains with ICF coaches, 371 people lost their lives and 1,142 were injured while in accidents involving LHB coaches, six people died and 115 sustained injuries. The report said that no casualty was reported on June 25, 2014, when Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express (LHB coaches) overturned despite high-speed derailment but 38 passengers were killed and 150 were injured after Dehradun-Varanasi Janta Express with ICF derailed near Bachhrawan railway station on March 20, 2015.

Time to ramp up LHB production

The production of ICF rakes have been permanently stopped since 2014, after the Narendra Modi government took over. The then union railway minister Piyush Goyal had promised in 2017 that all ICF rakes in the railways would be replaced by safer LHB rakes by 2022. In September, 2020, the CAG once again red flagged the usage of ICF rakes and stated that with the present rate of production, it would take eight more years to replace all ICF rakes with LHB rolling stock.

With the current rate of production of LHB coaches (7000 coaches manufactured in FY- 2023-24 as declared by the Ministry of Railways), LHBfication of the entire ICF fleet seems to be like a distant goal. At present LHB rakes are being manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, Modern Coach Factory (MCF) in Raebareli and the Rail Coach Factory (RCF) in Kapurthala. But the government has still not achieved the target of delivering on this promise.

According to the last Ministry of Railways data released January 2024, 50.5 percent of the total passenger rolling stock of Indian Railways is LHB, whereas 49.5 percent is of ICF fleet. Around 35,450 traditional ICF coaches need to be replaced with LHB coaches.

Why do we need LHB coaches?

LHB rakes have significant advantages over traditional ICF rolling stock. Some of the advantages of LHB rakes are as follows:

=Anti-climbing features: LHB coaches are designed with anti-climbing features to prevent them from mounting over each other during a collision. This helps minimise the severity of accidents.

=Crash worthiness: LHB rakes are designed to be crashworthy, meaning they can absorb and dissipate energy during a collision to minimise the impact forces on passengers. This contributes to passenger safety in the event of an accident.

=             Fire retardant materials: The materials used in the construction of LHB coaches are often fire-resistant, reducing the risk of fire-related accidents and providing passengers with additional safety.

=             Emergency braking system: LHB rakes are equipped with advanced braking systems that can be applied in emergency situations. This helps in reducing the speed of the train quickly, minimising the impact in case of an impending collision.

=             Safety during derailment: LHB coaches are designed to minimise the risk of injury to passengers in the event of a derailment. The design takes into account factors like overturning and rolling during derailment scenarios.

=             Improved suspension system: LHB rakes have advanced suspension systems that provide better stability and control. This contributes to the overall safety and comfort of passengers, especially during high-speed travel.

= Energy-absorbing couplers: The couplers used in LHB coaches are designed to absorb energy during collisions, reducing the force transmitted to the connected coaches and minimizing the risk of telescoping.

=             Advanced signalling and communication systems: LHB coaches are equipped with modern signalling and communication systems that enhance the overall safety of train operations. These systems help in maintaining safe distances between trains and improving communication between the train crew and control centres.

Proven safety record of LHB coaches

LHB coaches made up of stainless steel are more durable than ICF rakes and have a very robust safety record with reference to high-speed derailments. In August 2021, the Guwahati-Howrah Saraighat Express derailed near Chaygaon railway station in Assam during which no casualties were reported. In October 2023, four coaches of North East Express which led to just four casualties. The 2023 Balasore tragedy in Odisha would have been much worst had the Indian Railways used ICF coaches in Coromandel Express and SMVT Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express.

ICF trains which need immediate replacement

Other than the 13174 Agartala-Sealdah Kanchanjungha Express, many other trains are still running with ICF rakes. The 13141 Teesta Torsa Express, 13163 Hate-Bazare Express, 12363 Kolkata-Haldibari Tri-Weekly Intercity Express, 12333 Vibhuti Express, 14241 Nauchandi Express and 12075 Kozhikode-Thiruvananthapuram Central Jan Shatabdi Express are all running by using old unsafe ICF coaches, and new LHB rakes for these important trains have not been received by their respective divisions. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw have officially stated that in the next four years, work towards replacing all ICF rakes with LHB rolling stock will be completed. But, by increasing the current rate of production of LHB rakes to around 8000 coaches a year, the goal can be achieved much earlier than anticipated.

It is high-time for the Modi government to step out of its Vande Bharat (Train-18) conundrum and look deeply into the genuine cause of saving human lives. The union government led by visionary Prime Minister and global statesman- Narendra Modi has done a commendable job in terms of electrification of railway tracks. As per official data released on August 31, 2025, 99.1 percent of the Indian Railways’ broad-gauge network is electrified, with the objective of 100 percent electrification slated to be reached by March 31, 2026. LHBfication of trains should be the next big goal of the government which must be taken up on priority. The Gonda incident and the North Bengal rail tragedy should be the eyeopener for everyone.

Removing encroachments near tracks

LHB rakes are capable of running at speeds of up to 200 km per hour if the tracks and signalling infrastructure are modernised. Plans are already underway to increase the speeds of passenger trains plying across trunk routes like Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata up to 160 km per hour and even up to 180 km per hour in a step-by-step manner over the next three to four years. However, for smoother mobility of highspeed trains and fuller realisation of the potential of LHB fleet, it is necessary to keep the tracks free of encroachments.

The Supreme Court has explicitly stated in its order dated December 17, 2024 in the Rajendra Kumar Barjatya versus U.P. Avas Evam Vikas Parishad case (neutral citation: 2024 INSC 990) that illegal and unauthorised constructions cannot be perpetuated and such constructions have to be necessarily demolished. Additionally, in another order dated April 30, 2025 in the Kaniz Ahmed versus Sabuddin case (neutral citation: 2025 INSC 610), the Supreme Court has said that courts should not readily engage themselves in the judicial regularisation of illegal constructions. In one of the points written in both the orders, the apex court has clearly said that banks and NBFCs must not sanction loans against unauthorised constructions. But many banks and NBFCs are still violating the Supreme Court orders. These two historic apex court decisions (which have already been conveyed to the Chief Secretaries and High Courts of all states and union territories in the country) have permanently closed the doors on illegal constructions and encroachments across the nation. This has now given the railway ministry enough room to go full throttle towards the demolition of encroachments near railway tracks.

Moreover, the onus now lies upon the Ministry of Finance as well as Ministry of Railways to write a letter to the RBI Governor notifying the Supreme Court order so that banks and NBFCs (Non-Banking Finance Companies) are officially warned by the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) not to approve loans for unauthorised projects. If the flow of money is stopped towards promoting encroachments near railway tracks, it will go a long way towards increasing agility and speeds of trains.

Must speed up fleet modernisation

Perhaps it is time for the union government to lay a wider budget outlay for increasing capital expenditure for expanding the existing LHB coach manufacturing plants so that a greater number of trains can be equipped with stainless steel-made LHB rakes by replacing the ageing ICF rakes.

Eradicating the ICF fleet from the Indian Railways will not just make the railways safer for the common man but will also delete the black ICF chapter of the Congress era which has time and again proved to be a meat grinder. The target should be to replace all ICF coaches within a couple of years along with track renewal and revamping the Kavach anti-collision system for pan-India route coverage.

Culmination of a dream

The mandate received during the Lok Sabha elections has once again proved that the proletariat has full faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA government’s policies. Now it is time for the incumbent government to pay back to the society by trashing the age-old corrupt Congress-era sin of ICF rolling stock which reminds every Indian of a colonial-era malpractice.

As of October 11, 2025, 76 services of Vande Bharat trains are running across the country, which clearly signifies the realisation of a dream with reference to the dawn of high-speed rail transport in the country. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project is also progressing very smoothly. The two dedicated freight corridors (EDFC and WDFC) are nearing completion. With a decisive and strong government at the helm of affairs, a modern railway fleet fully made up of LHB as well as Train-18 rakes in the next couple of years won’t be an impossible goal to achieve, provided there is a political will to do so. If the Indian Railways is transformed into a sleek, safe and comfortable mode of land transport, it will add one more feather in the cap in the everlasting legacy of beloved Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

By AMARTYA SINHA
(The content of this article reflects the views of writer and contributor, not necessarily those of the publisher and editor. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only)