Kolkata-Sairang Express derails in Assam: A look at other recent train accidents

The Kolkata-Sairang Express derailed at the Digaru railway station in Assam on November 11, 2026, with several coaches going off track after the loco pilot failed to control the train’s speed while giving precedence to another train. The Northeast Frontier Railway said that all passengers are safe and no injuries have been reported.The incident has brought renewed attention to rail safety and the safeguards in place to avoid a major mishap. In July 2026, the Ministry of Railways issued a press release in which it detailed that the country had witnessed ‘only two consequential train accidents until that month.’ A consequential train accident refers to an accident which resulted in the loss of human lives/injury or damage to railway property or interruption to rail traffic in excess of laid-down threshold levels. Recent train accidentsThe Safety Information Management System (SIMS) of the Indian Railways, in its ‘recent train accidents’ section, lists the accidents that occurred from April 1 2025, to present. The November 11, 2026, Kolkata-Sairang Express derailment has not been added to the database till the date of publication.Here are the consequential train accidents of the recent past:Punjab: Patiala train fire accident On November 6, 2026, at 1.00 p.m., a fire broke out in the Karmabhoomi Express near Sarai Banjara railway station in Punjab’s Patiala district. Eyewitnesses and residents who rushed to the spot said thick smoke could be seen billowing into the sky as the coaches caught fire, according to a report in The Hindu.Senior railway officials said the fire initially broke out in one coach but spread to other coaches due to strong winds. No casualty or injuries were reported.West Bengal: Murshidabad train dashingOn July 17, 2026, at 6:41 a.m., the Nimtita-Katwa passenger train dashed into a Tata Sumo four-wheeler between Khagraghat Road and Karnasubarna stations of the Howrah Division. No casualties or property damage was reported.Andhra Pradesh: Elamanchi train smoke incidentOn December 29, 2025, at 12.41 a.m., smoke was noticed while the Tatanagar-Ernakulam Express was rolling into the Elamanchi Railway Station in Andhra Pradesh. Smoke was reported in the ninth and tenth coaches. No casualties were reported.Chhattisgarh: Bilaspur train collisionOn November 4, 2025, the Gevra Road-Bilaspur daily passenger train rammed into the end of a goods train on the UP line in the Bilaspur district at 3.53 pm. No casualties were reported.Punjab: Fatehgarh Sahib smoke incidentOn October 18 2025, smoke was noticed from the door of a coach of the Garib Rath Express, which goes from Amritsar Junction to Saharsa. The incident occurred while the train was passing through Sirhind station in the Fatehgarh Sahib district of the state. Fire brigade and ambulance was informed. No casualties were reported.Uttar Pradesh: Bhaupur train derailmentOn August 1, 2025, at 4.20 p.m., two coaches of the Jan Sadharan Express derailed while the train was entering Bhaupur station in Kanpur Dehat district of Uttar Pradesh. No casualties were reported.Tamil Nadu: Cuddalore train-school van collisionOn July 8, 2025, at 7.27 am, a passenger train rammed into a school van carrying four students at a manned gate in the Semmankuppam area of the Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu. The incident led to the deaths of three schoolchildren and two others, including the van driver, sustained serious injuries.The van belonging to Krishnaswamy Vidyanikethan, a private CBSE school, attempted to cross the railway level crossing when it was hit by Villupuram–Mayiladuthurai passenger train, says a report published in The Hindu.According to eyewitness accounts, the railway gatekeeper, identified as Pankaj Sharma, had dozed off and failed to close the gate. Kavach train protection systemIndian Railways has been able to decrease consequential train accidents by 88 per cent over the past 12 years, as per an ANI report in July 2026, which quoted an official statement. It further stated that Kavach 4.0, the automatic train protection system, was successfully commissioned on 2,569 route kilometres, covering high-density Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah Routes. Kavach aids the loco pilot in running of trains within specified speed limits by automatic application of brakes in case the human fails to do so