Railway Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday informed the Lok Sabha that the number of train accidents between January and July 2003 had come down to 167 as compared to 201 in the same period last year.
There have been five major accidents with 10 or more fatalities since January 2003, he said.
The direct loss on account of damage to railway property is approximately Rs 7.01 crore for the same period, he said, adding that 229 people were killed and 394 injured during the first six months.
The victims have been given Rs 135.37 lakh as ex-gratia in the five accidents so far.