RailEnquiry

CHENNAI: Schoolchildren and office-goers walking on the tracks at Chetpet railway station has become a nightmare for train drivers. The recent accidents in and around the area have become a cause for concern. Drivers say many people have a near brush with death, especially during peak hours. Many people talk on the phone while crossing the tracks, doubling the danger. Many school children have earpho8n8es plugged in, and don't hear trains hurtling towards them. Statistics sh8ow that on an average one person dies on the suburban train tracks every day.Train drivers and Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel said a large number of people enter the tracks from a side of the bridge which does not have a wall. M Govindaraj, a watchman at an apartment building close to the tracks, said: "The wall is not complete. Many people take the shortcut without taking the bridge. I've seen many people coming close to being run over by trains." Railway police say at least two people get killed near the station every month. A senior GRP officer said, "Youngsters are the ones who take the biggest risks. They cross the tracks and while on the train, hang out from the footboard when there is ample space inside the compartment. Then there are others who cling on to the four-inch window sill of the guard van. It baffles me."

A policeman from Chetpet station, who is posted near the lane leading to the tracks, said: "My job is to keep a watch on chain-snatchers as there have been a number of incidents here, but I end up cautioning people, especially schoolchildren, against crossing the tracks.

Meanwhile, the killer pole which claimed the life of a 20-year-old software engineer two weeks ago when his head hit the electric pole below the Chetpet bridge near Chetpet railway station is yet to be removed. M Muthukumar was the fourth train passenger to die after hitting the pole.