In response to the incident, the Railway Ministry has instructed all zones to conduct thorough inspections focusing on rust, corrosion, and structural weaknesses in critical areas of ICF coaches. This inspection exercise is set to be completed within a week.
Any coach found with excessive corrosion or structural deterioration will be withdrawn from service to ensure passenger safety. Senior officials from the Railway Board headquarters, workshops, and divisions will oversee super-checks, utilizing advanced tools such as endoscopy cameras and ultrasonic thickness gauges.
Additionally, all workshops responsible for periodic overhauling will undergo audits within the next month. The Ministry is also simplifying Standard Operating Protocols (SOPs) to expedite the condemnation of coaches with severe corrosion or repair costs deemed excessively high.
The safety review was triggered by the June 6 incident at Ludhiana Railway Station, where the New Delhi-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Special train experienced a severe jolt while departing, causing it to split into two sections and alarming passengers and railway personnel.
This drive follows a series of recent incidents raising concerns about train safety. On May 19, 2026, the Ujjain Express had three coaches derail near Yog Nagari Railway Station in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. Fortunately, no passengers were aboard, and no injuries were reported.
Earlier, on May 17, a fire broke out in the B-1 AC and rear SLR coaches of the Thiruvananthapuram-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express in Madhya Pradesh, with no casualties.
Zonal Railways have also released an informative video to raise awareness about the ongoing measures and safety protocols.
