India's ageing rail system among world's deadliest...

Indian train drivers complain of exhausting working hours and a lack of basic safety equipment -- some of the numerous hazards facing one of the busiest and most deadly rail networks in the world.

At the weekend, two separate crashes left 69 dead and about 200 injured after a derailment in northern Uttar Pradesh state and a bomb explosion on tracks in the restive northeastern state of Assam.

While new shiny airport infrastructure is springing up across the country, the Indian railways -- a much romanticised legacy of British colonial rule -- often appear stuck in a time-warp.

After decades of under-investment, the rolling stock is old, speeds are low, signalling is done manually in some areas, and a lack of fencing makes the network a soft target for militants.

Drivers say they are unfairly blamed for the frequent accidents, while the politicians in charge dodge their responsibility to the 18 million people that use the network daily. More...

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