Title - All level crossings to be manned by 2013

Trespassing a major safety issue for Railways The Thiruvananthapuram Railway Division has worked out an action plan to close down or man 80 unmanned level crossings by the year 2013, Divisional Railway Manager Rajesh Agrawal has said.Addressing a press meet here on Monday, Mr. Agrawal said the Railways had identified 25 locations where level crossings less than 150 metres apart could be aggregated. “We have opened discussions with the State government and the panchayats to provide land for constructing link roads at these locations.”He said a meeting had been arranged with the government to expedite the work on 40 railway overbridges under construction. “Some overbridges take up to 10 years for completion. The Railway Ministry has sanctioned 45 overbridges in the division, but we estimate that 90 are needed. We are trying to get the work done in two years. Prefabricated structures built on piers can save time and minimise land acquisition.”Mr. Agrawal said level crossings with one lakh train vehicle units (the number of trains passing through the point multiplied by the number of vehicles crossing the track) per day were considered for overbridges.He said trespassing the railway track was a major safety issue and a cause for concern. “We have come across a lot of trespassing cases that could compromise the safety of rail travel by disturbing the track formation and ballast. Even a disturbance of 3 mm per metre of the track could compromise safety. Our staff are fully alert, but there is a need to sensitise the public to the danger.” He said the Railways had taken up the issue with the State government.

Mr. Agrawal said the level crossing at Aroor where five persons lost their lives in an accident on Sunday was due to be manned in a week. “We expedited the move and deployed a man at the location by Sunday midnight itself.’’ He added that it was fortunate that the train did not derail after hitting the car.

Mr. Agrawal said the Railways had launched two safety campaigns following the accident. One, he explained, was to control motorists who often tried to crash through manned level crossings, damaging the boom. “Every year we have 50 to 60 cases of gatekeepers being threatened or assaulted by motorists. With the help of NGOs and the media, we are trying to sensitise the people to the need to observe safety regulations.” The second campaign, which was also launched on Monday, was an intensive media campaign highlighting the need for safety.

Asked about the expense involved in manning level crossings, he said it would cost Rs.10 lakh to man a crossing a year. “With 400 crossings in the division, it works out to a huge amount. But safety is the first priority and the Railways will spare nothing to ensure this.”

Queried about compensation for the families of the victims of Sunday’s accident, he said it would have to be taken up under the Motor Vehicles Act.