The prevention of train derailment remains a key strategic area for strengthening safe travel on Indian railways. A latest Action Taken Report submitted by the Railway Ministry to the Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament has laid bare critical gaps in preventive measures, and bridging those gaps is pivotal to preventing recurrence of derailment of train coaches. The Parliamentary Committee, in their original report, flagged audit observations on factors causing derailments and recommended time-bound corrective action by the railways. The panel found that the factors causing maximum derailments (395) were in the ‘Engineering Department’, followed by the ‘Operating Department’ (173). Of several factors attributed, the major factor responsible for derailment is related to ‘maintenance of track’ (167 cases), followed by ‘deviation of track parameters beyond permissible limits’ (149 cases) and ‘bad driving/overspeeding’ (144 cases). The figures speak volumes about the shortcomings in preventive measures and call for prioritising the implementation of the recommendations made by the House panel to ensure safer and worry-free train travel. The Railway Ministry, however, sought to dispel the apprehension by apprising the Committee that track renewal and maintenance works, being directly related to safe train operation are given the topmost priority at each level. Some of the preventive measures initiated by Indian Railways include a set system of testing of rails and welds by Ultrasonic Flaw Detection Testing (USFD) machines at prescribed frequencies which are being monitored at field, division and zonal railways regularly. The railway authorities also insist that timely testing by USFD is helping in early detection of vulnerable points and initiating necessary remedial measures to reduce the probability of accidents. Besides, Indian Railways has already adopted a web-enabled Track Management System (TMS) to ensure monitoring of the track inspection and maintenance activities at various levels of railway working. An alarm/reminder is provided by TMS for any locations of rails and welds due for USFD testing, based on which planning and deployment of the USFD testing team is done efficiently. It further apprised the panel that in every department, scheduled inspection of higher officials has been laid down, which is done by officers concerned religiously, and a consolidated position is being monitored through TMS. The committee, however, had expressed the view that the ministry needed to fine-tune the system to the targeted standards so as to make the inspection system meaningful and beneficial. The House Committee also recommended that the office of the Commissioner of Railway Safety, which operates under the control of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, may be directly involved in the inspection process as an independent and dispassionate agency, and the Commissioner of Railway Safety should carry out safety audits in five railway divisions every year and submit a structured safety audit report on which the Indian Railways (Railway Board) may record their inputs and action taken on inspections. Implementation of this recommendation can significantly boost public confidence in preventive measures against derailments, as it would bring more transparency in the inspection process and strengthen the oversight mechanism. The committee’s recommendation that no stretch of railway track is left uninspected for longer periods of time is a timely caution, as gaps in track safety will go unnoticed until those cause major derailments resulting in loss of life of passengers or causing grievous injuries apart from causing huge financial losses due to damage of the coaches and tracks and disruption of train operation along the stretch. Minimising human intervention in the activities of the track and maximising mechanised maintenance work to eliminate the angle of human error in the process of track maintenance, as recommended by the panel, remains the pragmatic option for the railways, but adequate budgetary allocations will be required to ensure it. Another issue flagged by the committee is that no standard criterion was set for the number of inspections to be conducted by higher authorities, and hence, there is no accountability for the meagre number of inspections undertaken. The audit observation also brought to light that 794 officials dealing with track maintenance activities were not given training at various levels, be it the induction level or the refresher course level, and there were also shortfalls in conducting training at the supervisory level, which certainly raises doubt over the quality of track inspection and leaves room for doubts of critical faults in the system going unnoticed. While the railway authorities insist that a robust and structured training framework has been developed to maintain a skilled workforce and address the diverse needs of employees across all departments, regular monitoring and inspection of the training framework and its implementation on the ground is vital for improving the track inspection system. As Indian Railways have pushed for faster mobility on trains on rail routes strengthening accident prevention measures must receive the same urgency as capacity expansion. Upgrading safety architecture is crucial for the sustainability of the operational ambitions of Indian railways.