Twenty-four hours after the deadly train accident in West Bengal, human error appears to be the most plausible reason for the tragedy. M C Dey, the driver of Uttar Banga Express, may have simply erred in speeding past a red light and then failing to see the parked Vananchal Express early Monday morning.

Dey was a Category A driver, meaning he was among the top 15 percent of drivers with a good safety record. But he was driving at 90 km per hour in a 30 km per hour zone. Also, he was approaching a station where the train was scheduled to halt. So, it is hard to explain the failure of signaling equipment. Anyway, Dey’s safety record means nothing now and certainly nothing to the investigation, which needs to focus on how and why the accident occurred. And here, we have usual bureaucratese.

Railway Board Chairman Vivek Sahai says they have found no evidence of sabotage but would not rule out sabotage, presumably because his boss, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, would so dearly like to pin the blame on sabotage. That would help the Trinamool Congress leader absolve herself, and deflect attention from the fact that she is focused more on the West Bengal assembly elections than on the Railways Ministry she heads.

The July 19 train accident near Kolkata was the 14th in 10 months, all under the watch of Banerjee, according to The Hindu. The business daily Mint, using Wikipedia data, suggests it may be a 15-year high for train disasters in the country. If we were to go ahead and assume the latest accident occurred because of a human error, what lessons, if any, can we learn?

The Times of India, in a report, suggests a Rs. 250,000 anti-collision system used on some trains may have prevented this particular accident. But, overall, what could make our trains safer? We know it is better equipment, better vigilance because of recent sabotage bids by Maoists and not the least better training and care of the Railways’ human drivers. We have, since the days of Lalu Yadav’s reign at the Railways Ministry, heard of a variety of improvements, notably in condition of trains, platforms and stations but never about a significant investment in safety. It is simply time for the Railways to put safety first.