UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Indian Railways’ Safety Measures Yield Results: 58% Drop in Signalling Failures Contribute to Sharp Decline in Accidents

Q1. Kavach Version 4.0 was first commissioned across 1,452 route kilometres on which pair of high-density trunk routes of Indian Railways?

  • A. Delhi–Chennai and Delhi–Guwahati
  • B. Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah
  • C. Mumbai–Chennai and Chennai–Howrah
  • D. Delhi–Ahmedabad and Delhi–Kanpur

Q2. On how many route kilometres (RKM) has Kavach Version 4.0 been commissioned across the Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah routes?

  • A. 738 RKM
  • B. 1,452 RKM
  • C. 6,660 RKM
  • D. 24,427 RKM

Q3. With reference to the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK), consider the following statements: 1. It was created in 2017-18. 2. It has a corpus of ₹1 lakh crore spread over a period of five years. 3. It has an assured annual outlay of ₹20,000 crore. 4. Its entire annual outlay is met from the Gross Budgetary Support of the Union Government. Which of the statements given above are correctly identified?

  1. It was created in 2017-18.
  2. It has a corpus of ₹1 lakh crore spread over a period of five years.
  3. It has an assured annual outlay of ₹20,000 crore.
  4. Its entire annual outlay is met from the Gross Budgetary Support of the Union Government.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q4. With reference to the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) as distinct from the Railway Board, consider the following statements: 1. The CRS functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, not the Ministry of Railways. 2. The CRS derives its statutory inspectorial and investigatory functions from the Railways Act, 1989. 3. The CRS is a subordinate wing of the Railway Board and reports directly to it. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The CRS functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, not the Ministry of Railways.
  2. The CRS derives its statutory inspectorial and investigatory functions from the Railways Act, 1989.
  3. The CRS is a subordinate wing of the Railway Board and reports directly to it.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. The Commission of Railway Safety (CRS), which conducts statutory inquiries into serious railway accidents, functions under the administrative control of which one of the following Ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Railways
  • B. Ministry of Civil Aviation
  • C. Ministry of Home Affairs
  • D. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways

Q6. Following the June 2023 Bahanaga Bazar (Balasore) triple-train accident, the statutory inquiry into the accident — as mandated for serious railway accidents — was conducted by which authority?

  • A. The Commissioner of Railway Safety, under the Railways Act, 1989
  • B. The Central Bureau of Investigation, under the Railways Act, 1989
  • C. A committee of the Railway Board, under the Railway Claims Tribunal Act, 1987
  • D. The National Investigation Agency, under the Statutory Investigation Rules, 1998

Q7. The Balasore accident was traced to a fault in the 'electronic interlocking' system. In railway signalling, electronic interlocking is best defined as a system that:

  • A. ensures, by electronic logic, that conflicting signals and points cannot be set for two conflicting train movements at the same time
  • B. automatically applies brakes on a locomotive whenever it passes a signal at danger
  • C. verifies the vacancy of a block section by counting axles entering and leaving it
  • D. levels the crossing gates automatically as a train approaches a level crossing

Q8. Among the signalling modernisation measures of Indian Railways is the provision of Block Proving Axle Counters (BPAC). A Block Proving Axle Counter is best described as a device that:

  • A. proves that a block section is clear by electronically counting the axles that enter and leave it, permitting automatic clearance of the section
  • B. records the total number of trains passing a station in a day for traffic planning
  • C. measures axle load to detect overloaded wagons before they enter a bridge
  • D. counts the number of coaches in a train to confirm none has been left behind

Q9. As on 31.12.2025, Electrical/Electronic Interlocking with centralised operation of points and signals had been provided at how many stations of Indian Railways?

  • A. 6,142 stations
  • B. 6,660 stations
  • C. 10,097 stations
  • D. 24,427 stations

Q10. The disclosure that signalling failures on Indian Railways had fallen by about 58% over the preceding 11 years was made by the Minister of Railways in a written reply in which forum?

  • A. Rajya Sabha
  • B. Lok Sabha
  • C. The Standing Committee on Railways
  • D. A NITI Aayog governing council meeting

Q11. In discussions on Kavach reducing India's reliance on foreign train-protection systems, the term 'ETCS' is frequently invoked. ETCS is best defined as:

  • A. the European Train Control System, the signalling and train-protection standard forming the control-command component of the European Rail Traffic Management System
  • B. a United States federal standard for positive train control mandated after grade-crossing collisions
  • C. an international electrification-and-traction current standard for cross-border high-speed corridors
  • D. a track-geometry recording standard used to certify newly laid railway lines