Only three train collisions at manned level crossings have occurred across India in the last three and a half years, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
The minister’s written reply came in response to a query regarding the tragic 8 July incident in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district, where a school bus was struck by a train at a manned level crossing under the Tiruchchirappalli rail division, resulting in the death of three students and injuries to three others.
“In the said incident, three persons lost their lives and three persons sustained simple injuries. An inquiry has been set up to investigate the accident,” Vaishnaw stated.
He said a total ex gratia of ₹11 lakh has been disbursed to the families of the deceased and the injured. Overall, the railways paid ₹16 lakh as compensation in such level crossing accidents between 2022–23 and July 2025.
The minister highlighted that interlocking systems are being introduced as a key safety mechanism. “On a level crossing gate interlocked with the signalling system, signals protecting the gate will only allow a train to pass when the route is clear and the gate is closed and locked,” he explained.
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As of now, 11,096 manned level crossing gates have been interlocked nationwide. In Tamil Nadu alone, 1,053 out of 1,255 such crossings have been interlocked. Work is ongoing at another 72 locations in the state.
Vaishnaw further informed the House that all unmanned level crossings (UMLCs) on the Broad Gauge running lines were eliminated as of 31 January 2019.
He underlined the importance of eliminating manned crossings entirely through either road-over-bridges (ROBs) or road-under-bridges (RUBs). “Level crossings can be removed by direct closure or diversion of road traffic to nearby alternatives, based on site conditions,” he added.
The minister contrasted past and present efforts in this regard, noting that 4,148 ROBs/RUBs were constructed between 2004 and 2014, whereas 13,426 have been built since 2014 up to June 2025.
As of 1 April 2025, the Indian Railways has sanctioned 4,402 more ROBs/RUBs at an estimated cost of ₹1,00,860 crore, of which 235 are in Tamil Nadu, valued at ₹4,669 crore. These are at various stages of planning and execution.
In the case of Cuddalore district, which has 92 level crossings, 11 were sanctioned for elimination via ROBs or RUBs. However, Vaishnaw said that seven projects could not proceed “due to non-receipt of consent for closure for construction from the Tamil Nadu government”.
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