Two Britons have tragically died with several more injured in a rail accident, whilst travelling along the Kalka to Shimla train line in Northern India. The train derailed whilst travelling along what is commonly known as the "toy train" line and investigations are now underway to determine the cause of the accident, with eye witness accounts from the passengers on board suggesting that the train may have been travelling too fast. The train had been chartered by Great Rail Journeys, a tour company based in York in the UK. The rail route from Kalka uses a narrow gauge along a winding, mountainous route, finishing at an altitude of over 2,000 metres in Shimla.
Rachael Tucker, a solicitor with Fieldfisher who specialises in international personal injury, says "This is a tragic accident and our thoughts go out to the families of those who were killed. We hope that the injured make a full and speedy recovery from what must have been a very frightening situation for all those involved.
Trips such as these are becoming increasingly popular with travellers who want to combine experiencing the beauty and culture of a country such as India, with the safety and security that they expect in booking their trip with a UK company based company or tour operator. Unfortunately however this does not necessarily mean that the safety standards that we would expect to apply in the UK, will apply during such a trip.
We hope that the authorities make a quick but thorough investigation so that they can find out exactly what went wrong. The investigators will need to find out the full details of the derailment before they can draw any conclusions, however India's railways are renowned for being unsafe in many parts of the country, due to a lack of regulation in many areas. In particular, issues have been reported with overcrowding of trains, poor maintenance of rolling stock, inadequate checks on railway lines in vulnerable terrain, and outdated tracks and rail technology. Lessons must be learned from this tragic accident and consideration must also be given to the tour operator's obligations, as those injured may consider pursuing claims against them within this jurisdiction."
Rachael Tucker, a solicitor with Fieldfisher who specialises in international personal injury, says "This is a tragic accident and our thoughts go out to the families of those who were killed. We hope that the injured make a full and speedy recovery from what must have been a very frightening situation for all those involved.
Trips such as these are becoming increasingly popular with travellers who want to combine experiencing the beauty and culture of a country such as India, with the safety and security that they expect in booking their trip with a UK company based company or tour operator. Unfortunately however this does not necessarily mean that the safety standards that we would expect to apply in the UK, will apply during such a trip.
We hope that the authorities make a quick but thorough investigation so that they can find out exactly what went wrong. The investigators will need to find out the full details of the derailment before they can draw any conclusions, however India's railways are renowned for being unsafe in many parts of the country, due to a lack of regulation in many areas. In particular, issues have been reported with overcrowding of trains, poor maintenance of rolling stock, inadequate checks on railway lines in vulnerable terrain, and outdated tracks and rail technology. Lessons must be learned from this tragic accident and consideration must also be given to the tour operator's obligations, as those injured may consider pursuing claims against them within this jurisdiction."