1981: World's second largest - India railways still need enhancement

Killer Rails

It was a year when death stalked India's rail network, the second-largest in the world. Between January and September alone, there were 526 train derailments. Railway Minister Kedar Nath Pande was already neck-deep in trouble over the rising number of accidents, when on June 6, seven of the nine bogies of the overcrowded 416 Down derailed over a bridge while crossing river Bagmati at Balaghat in Bihar. The reason for the accident remained shrouded in mystery, as did the death toll immediately after the accident. The final figure was pegged to be at least 400.