Author: falsetto Source: falsetto (official account ID: lxlong20) has been authorized to reprint
On the evening of June 2nd local time, India suffered another disaster: a series of collisions caused by train derailment, which has resulted in over 1000 casualties.
01 Catastrophe
According to the Ministry of Railways of India:
1. A passenger train traveling from Kolkata to Chennai (at a speed of 127 kilometers per hour) unexpectedly derailed near Bahanaja Railway Station in the eastern state of Orissa; More than 10 carriages scattered around, causing the first disaster.
2. A derailed carriage collided with a nearby freight train, causing a second disaster.
3. Some derailed carriages crashed into the opposite track. Before the passengers could fully evacuate, a passenger train from Bangalore to Kolkata collided with carriages scattered on the opposite track; Causing a third disaster.
This is a tragic train collision and the most serious railway tragedy in India in the 21st century. It is very tragic.
Survivor Memories:
When the accident occurred, 10 to 15 people fell on me and everything was in chaos. I was pressed at the bottom and my hands and neck were injured. When I got out of the carriage, I saw some people losing their hands, some people losing their legs, and even their faces injured
.
After the accident, Modi first prayed to the injured on social media, expressing that his heart was with the families of the deceased; Subsequently, he personally went to the scene of the accident and stated that the government will do its best to provide treatment for the injured, and the person responsible for the accident will be severely punished.
The official preliminary investigation report from India shows that the accident is likely caused by a railway signal error. This statement (railway signal error) may not be convincing to the public, but the involvement may be minimal in later accountability.
As is well known, India is a country with severe corruption. For countries with severe corruption, many public events can be difficult to hold accountable, usually with heavy rain and little rain; Because the bureaucrats in the same corrupt circle will defend each other very tacitly, and ultimately deceive the people with the smallest possible cause and effect. So the Indian authorities first laid the groundwork and tried to guide the story towards “railway signal errors”.
Of course, this is a bit of conspiracy theory. Let’s wait for India’s rehabilitation plan. For India, this disaster is definitely not an isolated event, but a part of a series of difficult problems.
02 Disastrous India
India is a disaster prone country.
I checked the information and found that in the 21st century alone, India has experienced many similar tragedies, including but not limited to the following examples:
On April 12, 2004, in Dolaknow, India, at least 21 women were killed in a stampede as people rushed to receive free saris.
On January 25, 2005, a stampede by Hindu pilgrims occurred near Mandela Dewi Temple in Maharashtra, India, resulting in 291 deaths.
On October 3, 2007, at a train station about 20 kilometers west of the holy city of Varanasi in the Ganges River, India, a group of women who went on a pilgrimage to Varanasi to bathe in the Ganges River suffered at least 14 women due to chaos.
On August 3, 2008, in the mountainous region of Himachal Pradesh in northern India, the Nainadvi Temple was mistakenly mistaken by believers for a landslide due to the collapse of a shelter; After the stampede incident, at least 142 people were killed and 47 injured.
On September 30, 2008, a temple in Jodhpur, India suffered a stampede due to rumors that bombs had been planted inside, resulting in 224 deaths and 425 injuries..
On March 4, 2010, a temple in Uttar Pradesh, India, suffered a stampede due to the collapse of its gate, resulting in at least 71 deaths and over 200 injuries.
On January 15, 2011, a stampede accident occurred near Sabarimala Temple in Kerala, India, resulting in 102 deaths and 100 injuries.
On February 10, 2013, during the Hindu Great Pot Festival, a stampede occurred at the Allahabad Railway Station in Uttar Pradesh, resulting in 36 deaths and 39 injuries.
On October 13, 2013, during the Hindu festival of the Nine Nights, a stampede occurred near a temple in Madhya Pradesh, resulting in 115 deaths and more than 100 injuries.
On October 3, 2014, in Gandhi Square, Patna, India, a stampede was triggered during the celebration of the Ten Victory Festival, resulting in 32 deaths and 26 injuries.
On July 14, 2015, at least 27 pilgrims were killed in an accident on the bank of Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh, southern India, due to a stampede in celebration of the Big Pot Festival.
On September 29, 2017, a pedestrian overpass in Mumbai, India experienced a stampede accident after heavy rain, resulting in at least 22 deaths and hundreds of injuries.
On January 1, 2022, a stampede occurred at a Hindu holy site in Indian controlled Kashmir, resulting in 12 deaths and 16 injuries.
On October 30, 2022, a century old suspension bridge in India collapsed, resulting in 141 deaths.
Everyone, this is just a 21st century accident.
It should be noted that in the 21st century, India’s economy has achieved rapid development (relative to its historical self), almost the best era in history (relative to its historical self). If we go back, it will only get worse.
There are two main reasons for these disasters:
One reason is that many Indians do not follow modern rules. This is reflected in international relations, where Indians lack credibility. For example, when doing business with an Indian, one must make sure the other party pays first.
The second reason is that infrastructure is backward, and tofu residue projects can be seen everywhere. For India, which suffers from severe corruption, it is not uncommon to produce a series of infrastructure tofu residues. But the Indian railway system was not built by the Indians, but by the British.
In terms of engineering rigor, the British outperform the Indians.
In fact, among the many infrastructure projects in India, the railway system is considered to be of high quality.
03 Indian Railways
The Indian Railway was once the first in Asia.
The first railway in Asia, the first electrified railway, and the first railway system all appeared in India.
In the global colonial struggle between Britain and France back then, Britain defeated France, and the biggest victory was its dominance of India.
By the mid-19th century, most of the South Asian subcontinent had become British colonies. Although the territory there is vast, it is not easy to rule due to the long-term state of separatism and separatism.
In the view of British colonizers, in order to improve management efficiency, the first step is to improve transportation efficiency. Coincidentally in 1814, British man Stephenson invented the train. The British colonizers brought this advanced technological achievement to India and created grand railway plans for India, specifically establishing the “East India Railway Company” and the “Greater Indian Peninsula Railway Company”.
With the support of the British, India soon had the first railway in Asia.
Due to the fact that Britain regards India as the jewel in the crown of the British Empire and has taken the stance of building its own country to help India build railways, quality control is very strict. For example, the early Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, which passed through 919 curves and over 550 bridges, is still in use today.
Due to the difficulty of constructing railways and slow returns. The colonial authorities in India provided free guarantees to companies building railways in India, ensuring that these companies had a return rate of at least 5%.
Later on, the British national team simply entered the field and started building infrastructure in India. From 1859 to 1869, India’s railway mileage surged to 5015 miles (approximately 8070 kilometers), ranking first in Asia.
Before the outbreak of World War I, India’s total railway mileage had reached 34656 miles (55773 kilometers). After the war, Britain continued to build railways in India, and its journey quickly exceeded 60000 kilometers.
It can be said that during the British colonial era, the Indian railway had long dominated Asia.
It is precisely because the British built railways for India that many Indians did not hate the British colonizers. There is a movie in India that describes the spiritual victory of the Indian people: they do not consider themselves slaves to the British colonizers, but rather believe that the British colonizers are their own slaves.
But later, the Indian railway system stagnated.
The reason is simple: India has gained independence.
Of course, India’s independence was achieved through Gandhi’s nonviolent and non cooperative movement, not through armed revolution. In fact, India does not want to engage in armed revolution, but rather has no choice. India has also engaged in uprisings before, but they have all failed. On the one hand, it is because the combat effectiveness of the Indians is indeed low and moving, and on the other hand, due to the developed railway system in India, Britain was able to quickly mobilize troops and suppress the uprising.
After India’s independence, it has been using the railway system built by the British. However, due to historical reasons, the standards for these railways are not unified, and the gauge is mainly divided into three types: wide gauge, metric gauge, and narrow gauge.
Wide gauge, mainly distributed along the coast of India and some major cities,
The metric system is distributed in the northern region of India,
Narrow gauge, distributed in mountainous and mining areas with inconvenient transportation.
The non-uniformity of this gauge has led to frequent transfers of passengers and goods on Indian railways, resulting in many traffic accidents. I’m not sure if this traffic accident is related to it.
The problem with the Indian railway system goes far beyond inconsistent gauge.
04 Several Questions
The internal religious factions and local families in India are already intertwined, coupled with different railway track standards and the muddled style of Indians, which can easily lead to natural and man-made disasters.
The Indian railway system also has its own industries such as hospitals, schools, and hotels. Today, the Indian railway system has become one of the largest institutions in the Indian government.
Although railways have so many industries, they don’t make much money. Because Indian railways are state-owned and operate on huge state subsidies. Of course, those subsidies also nourish a large number of corrupt bureaucrats. In addition, factors such as the prevalence of ticket evasion in India (a considerable portion of passengers who hang outside are fleeing tickets) have led to the Indian railway being in a loss state for years.
In short, although the Indian railway was built earlier, accidents often occur due to reasons such as inconsistent standards, outdated equipment and ineffective maintenance, bureaucratic corruption, and passenger ticket evasion.
The current issue facing India is a comprehensive one, which includes but is not limited to:
1. Updating the railway infrastructure system is actually equivalent to rebuilding the railway system.
——This requires a massive investment, but if done properly, it can transform infrastructure. But India’s unique characteristics have deterred foreign investors, such as Japan’s desire to help India build high-speed rail, which has already led India to doubt its life. However, given the allure of India’s vast size, there will be great intelligence constantly going to be leeks.
2. Thoroughly reform the railway management system and vigorously combat corruption.
——This is actually very difficult. India cannot even manage corruption in its military industry system, let alone its railway system. The Indian political scene is actually quite unique. Modi himself is a devout believer and a clean white lotus; But everyone around us is corrupt. This phenomenon is somewhat similar to the Beiyang Duan Qirui government, except that Duan Qirui is corrupt.
3. Unify railway standards and eliminate bloated institutions.
——This is also difficult, involving too many stakeholders.
4. Let India’s old irons behave themselves.
——This one is the most difficult. In the face of this difficult problem, none of the above problems is a matter of course.