[IAC#RG] How corrupt / unsafe is Indian Railways / Railway Board ?

The recent accident near Kanpur clearly brings out how the babus at the Rail Ministry (like their counterparts in Ministry of Defence) and at the Railway Board have no shame at all when it comes to cutting corners on safety for the sake of making money on the side.

In reply to a recent RTI of mine the Commissioner of Railway says that they do not have any safety standards for high speed trains and that most of their safety trials are actually conducted by external private assessors. So they transferred my RTI to the concerned railway who promptly said that they don't have any safety standards either.

It seems that the only standard followed in India for high speed train manufacturers is how much they must pay the ministers and top babus in Railway Board under the table. How else do we explain the bizarre decision taken by the entire Railway Board not to involve the Commissioner of Railway Safety in the numerous high-speed trials of Talgo trains between Mumbai and Delhi where these foreign trains were pushed to speeds well in excess of the track capablities? Fractured rails anyone ?

http://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/141116/talgo-run-in-india-hits-safety-panels-hurdles.html

It takes a brave little paper to publish a story like this which the "paid" media won't run.

The railway safety body has questioned the Railway Board on how trials were conducted without its permission.