Title - Atlantis: Accident corridor in the making

Sunday’s railway mishap at Aroor, which claimed five lives, has once again brought the burning issue of Atlantis railway gate in the city to limelight. The incident points to the need for replacing the gate with a railway overbridge at Atlantis. The outdated railway gate near the old Airport near Willingdon island, also needs urgent attention. “At Atlantis, the distance between the railway gates has been an issue. The gatekeeper cannot do anything once the gate is closed.The road traffic here is beyond control. The railway gate won’t be sufficient to handle the increasing number of vehicles,” pointed out P Unnikrishnan, divisional president of SRMU (Southern Railway Mazdoor Union). Replacing the gates at Atlantis is an option. However, there will be long and complicated procedures associated with it. It has been pointed out that constructing a railway overbridge would be the only solution to the issue. Already the ROBs have been constructed at Edappally and Pulleppady railway level crosses. Though there is another gate near Atlantis, there’s not much traffic there. Yet another possible threat is the old railway gate near the Naval Airport. “The gate is operating with a primitive system. Closing and opening the gate have always been a difficult process. It is an entry point to West Kochi, Thoppumpady and Mattanchery. There is not much rail traffic through this gate. However the gate itself is in a dangerous condition,” sources said. Though the issue has been raised many times, no action has been taken yet. There are also demands for a railway overbridge at Pachalam.“Lack of an overbridge here, has affected the road traffic in front of Lourde’s Hospital. The Railways should take immediate action to construct an ROB here,” said K J Paul Manvettom, president of the All-Kerala Railway Users Association.