A day after the derailment of the Howrah-Dibrugarh Kamrup Express, Railway Minister Nitish Kumar said the number of rail accidents had considerably decreased with Rs 17,000 crore earmarked for improving safety.

"The number of railway accidents came down from 2000 in 1960 to 400 last year. This was possible after introduction of latest technology," the railway minister said on Saturday in Dhanbad after inaugurating three new projects of the East Central Railway.

Old tracks were being replaced as also outdated signaling systems while anti-collision devices were being tested. This slew of measures would be completed in the next six years, he said.

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