2016-17 ரயில்வே பட்ஜெட்டில்’விபத்தில்லாத இந்திய ரயில்வே என்பதே இந்த அரசின் இலக்கு’ என்ற அறிவிப்பை செயல்படுத்திட வேண்டும் #KanpurTrainTragedy

DMK leader M.K. Stalin expressed profound anguish on November 20, 2016, following the catastrophic derailment of the Indore–Patna Express near Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, which claimed over one hundred and forty lives and injured hundreds of passengers. Stalin extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded travelers receiving emergency hospital care.

Stalin called upon the Union Ministry of Railways to move beyond repetitive condolence statements and translate its statutory commitments into tangible passenger safety reforms. He specifically recalled that the Union government had announced an ambitious zero-accident mission during the presentation of the 2016–17 Railway Budget, pledging comprehensive track upgrades, advanced signalling mechanisms, and modernization of ageing rolling stock across the national rail network. However, the catastrophic Kanpur tragedy highlighted persistent gaps between budgetary proclamations and ground-level infrastructure maintenance.

The opposition leader demanded that railway authorities conduct a transparent, time-bound inquiry to establish mechanical or operational failures and fix institutional accountability. Stalin emphasized that ensuring foolproof track maintenance, replacing outdated coaches, and deploying modern anti-collision systems must take immediate precedence to safeguard traveling citizens.