A total of 21,803 persons were killed in 24,678 railway accidents in India in 2023, according to the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau.

Maharashtra accounted for the highest number of railway accidents in the country, reporting 5,559 cases or 22.5% of the total.

The state also recorded the most deaths due to railway accidents at 3,445, or 15.8% of the total, followed by Uttar Pradesh, which reported 3,149 deaths, or 14.4%.

The largest number of injuries due to railway accidents was also reported from Maharashtra – 2,115 out of the total 3,014.

The National Crime Records Bureau did not have a separate category for accidents and deaths reported on the state capital Mumbai’s suburban train network.

Quoting a Right to Information query, The Times of India reported in January that the suburban network recorded 2,590 deaths in 2023 and 2,468 in 2024.

According to the NCRB report, the leading cause of accidents in the country was passengers falling from trains or being hit while crossing the tracks. These accounted for 18,480 cases, nearly three-fourths of all railway accidents. The accidents resulted in 15,878 deaths, or 72.8% of the total.

Maharashtra accounted for 29.8% of the cases.

The report stated that 56 of the total accidents were caused by the driver’s fault and 43 due to mechanical defects.

The other cause of railway deaths was accidents at railway crossings. Uttar Pradesh saw 1,025, or 41.3%, out of 2,483 such cases, the most in the country.

West Bengal was second with 805 cases and Madhya Pradesh third with 375 cases. The three states reported nearly 88% of all railway crossing deaths in 2023.

Most railway accidents, at 3,771, took place during the evening hours between 6 pm and 9 pm, according to the NCRB report.

The next most dangerous period was between 9 am and 12 pm, which saw 3,693 cases.

Maharashtra reported the maximum accidents in both time slots.

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