Why in the News
Train travel insurance, so far available only on tickets booked online, must now cover every ticket sold at railway station counters from October 27, 2026. A two judge Bench of the Supreme Court has issued this direction and made the Railway Board, the apex management body of Indian Railways, directly responsible for any failure to implement it.
What is the gap in railway travel insurance?
- What it is: Passengers booking online can buy travel insurance for a nominal additional amount, which pays out if they are injured or killed in a rail accident. It works like an add on cover offered at checkout.
- Who was left out: Tickets bought at reservation counters carried no such cover. These buyers are mostly economically disadvantaged passengers, the Court noted.
- Why the Court stepped in: The Court had given the authorities sufficient time to devise a mechanism for counter tickets and found no progress.
- The takeaway: Accident cover depended on how a passenger bought the ticket, so the poorest travellers were the least protected.
What has the Court ordered?
- Uniform cover: All tickets sold over the counter at all stations must be insured “in the same manner” as online tickets.
- Named liability: The direction is mandatory, and any failure falls “directly upon the Railway Board”.
- Earlier assurance: On May 11, the Centre had told the Court that a decision on insuring offline tickets “has been taken” and “modalities are being worked out”.
How did a crash inquiry plea grow into a safety case?
- Original plea: The June 2023 Odisha train accident killed at least 261 people. The petition filed after it sought a commission of inquiry into the crash.
- Kavach link: The petitioner blamed the crash on the Railways’ failure to install Kavach, the automatic train protection system. The plea sought its early rollout on all trains.
- Wider scope: The Bench widened the case to cover foot over bridges, fencing of tracks and insurance for counter tickets.
- Safety budget: In earlier hearings the Court expressed displeasure over the allocation for passenger safety in the Railway budget.
Why is the Court unhappy with the Railways?
- Assurances on paper: The Court found that Railway assurances had “remained largely on paper”, with no substantial change on the ground. It voiced “utter disappointment and displeasure” at Ministry of Railways officers.
- Unspent safety money: Budgetary provisions for the safety of the common man were not fully utilised, and even basic safety requirements were not adequately met.
- Two month deadline: The Railways must file details of a special drive on Kavach, foot over bridges and fencing within two months, showing actual progress on the ground.
- Summons on hold: The Court had summoned the Railway Board Chairman and Members. It paused the summons when the Additional Solicitor General sought a last chance to file an affidavit explaining missed fencing targets.
- Next hearing: The matter returns to the Court on November 16.
Challenges
- Counter logistics: Counters must record insurance details for every ticket, a step online systems handle automatically.
- Premium burden: If counter passengers pay the same nominal premium as online buyers, the poorest travellers bear a new cost.
- Slow Kavach coverage: Kavach still covers a small share of the network. Eg. About 3,100 route km of roughly 70,000 km.
- Low claim awareness: Cover helps only if accident victims’ families know about it and can file claims.
Way Forward
- Default counter cover: The Railway Board should build insurance into the counter ticketing system as a default.
- Safety spending report: The Ministry of Railways should report spending against each safety budget head to the Court.
- Kavach timetable: Publish a route-wise Kavach rollout schedule with target dates.
- Claim help desks: Stations should help accident victims’ families file insurance claims.
Conclusion
The Court has turned a promise the Railways made months ago into a deadline, with the Railway Board answerable for it. The test now is whether counter tickets carry cover from the first day and whether the next affidavit shows safety work on the ground.
Back2Basics: Kavach
- What it is: An indigenous automatic train protection system that applies the brakes on its own if the loco pilot fails to, preventing collisions and overspeeding.
- Safety standard: It meets Safety Integrity Level 4 (SIL 4), the highest level of safety integrity.
- Latest version: The Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) approved Kavach 4.0.
Matching Previous Year Question
“[2024] With reference to the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM-SYM) Yojana, consider the following statements: 1. The entry age group for enrolment in the scheme is 21 to 40 years. 2. Age specific contribution shall be made by the beneficiary. 3. Each subscriber under the scheme shall receive a minimum pension of ₹ 3,000 per month after attaining the age of 60 years. 4. Family pension is applicable to the spouse and unmarried daughters. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 and 4 (b) 2 and 3* (c) 2 only (d) 1,2 and 4 ANSWER: (b)”
