Lxinfo - Rest of the World

Nanuoya, Sri Lanka: Three killed, nine injured in collision

Three people died and a further nine were injured when the van in which they were travelling was struck by a train on the Nanuoya level crossing on the rail corridor linking Colombo and Kandy.

Police sources say that the accident occurred during the evening of March 30th when the van driver zig-zagged around lowered barriers into the path of a train.

(March 31st, 2010)

Omsk, Russia: two die in collision with train

Two people were killed when the vehicle in which they were travelling was hit by a train on a level crossing in Tauride, Omsk region. The collision, which occurred during the afternoon of March 27th, 2010, was caused by the motorist failing to stop as required by the lights with which the crossing is equipped. Post incident testing has confirmed that the level crossing was fully functional at the time of the accident which led to the partial derailment of the passenger train.

(March 27th, 2010)

Fez, Morocco: Major grade separation inaugurated by Minister
Morocco’s Transport Minister officiated at a ceremony to mark the elimination of the Bensouda level crossing in Fez and the replacement road-under-rail bridge constructed at a cost of MAD45m. The underpass has been welcomed by residents and business owners because it takes away much of the lack of predictability of local journey times. The new grade separated route across the railway has been equally funded by Moroccan national railways (ONCF) and the city of Fez.		In total, ONCF eliminated 75 level crossings in the five years to the end of 2009. The current programme through to 2015 provides for a further 100 to be eliminated. The overall budget for these works is MAD500m. (March 26th, 2010)

Chennai, India: Train driver presents paper on level crossing safety

The number of papers on level crossing safety presented in any one year runs into hundreds. However, very few are from the perspective of the train drivers who witness near misses, survivable collisions as well as those with fatal consequences. With this in mind it is nice to be able to note the paper presented by Madurai, Tamil Nadu, based train driver Vijay Kumar which has been recognised by Southern Railway of India’s General Manager.

The topic of the presentation which generated the award was unmanned level crossings which constitute about half of the 38,000 level crossings on the India’s railway system. These unmanned crossings account for about a third of all level crossing accidents, with an increasing trend since the millennium.

Mr Kumar’s paper made the case for further unmanned crossings to be staffed. However, perhaps the most significant element of the presentation was that more consideration should be given to the construction of limited use subways which can be built at far lower cost than a full highway – rail grade separation project. One further attraction of this approach is the ability to secure partnership funding from local authorities.

Other approaches championed in the paper include traffic calming to reduce the speed of road traffic and enforcement campaigns to trap those who misuse level crossings.

(March 23rd, 2010)

Nara Kawai, Japan: Death of mother intentional, child murdered
The death of a mother and her three-month old child on the Horyuji Temple level crossing in Nara Kawai, Nara Prefecture are being investigated by police. Post incident reports have suggested that the deaths were intentional on the part of the mother. The deaths occurred on March 20th, 2010 with witness reports saying that the woman lay in the path of the train with her infant son cradled to her chest. The death of the child is being treated as a case of murder. (March 20th, 2010)

Beit Yehoshua, Israel: Senior officials indicted for manslaughter

Senior Israel Railways officials have been charged with manslaughter and criminally negligent injury. The charges faced by former CEO Ofer Linczewski, Deputy Operations Director Harel Even and former national director of roads and traffic arrangements Yuval Blum arise from a collision with a road vehicle on a level crossing near Beit Yehoshua in June 2006 that led to five deaths and many injuries to those travelling on the train.

Separately, the motorist has already been charged with manslaughter, causing serious injury, drunk-driving, negligent driving and drugs related offences.

According to the indictment of the senior managers, despite two earlier train crashes, in Revadim and Ahuzam, Israel Railways failed to carry out a risk assessment which properly addressed obstruction of level crossings. As a result, it is alleged, Israel Railways never published rules or guidance to prevent such accidents. The indictment further alleges that Israel Railways didn’t adopt interim solutions until permanent solutions could be found, address crossings without an early alert system for train operators, and didn’t resolve poor visibility issues.

Specifically the indictment says that some three months before the accident, the crossing where it occurred was singled out as having "poor visibility due to its topography and tall eucalyptus trees." It further adds that Mr Linczewski had requested recommendations to place guards at 37 crossings defined as high-risk. The recommendations made in response to this request included having a guard at the Beit Yehoshua crossing from 06.00 to 22.00., but Mr Linczewski only authorised guards at 19 crossings, between 06.00 and 10.00 and between 15.00 and 22.00. The Beit Yehoshua accident occurred at 11.56.

(March 19th, 2010)

Tomari, Russia: Coal truck collides with passenger train
A dump-truck collided with a train at a level crossing near Tomari, Sakhalin because the dump-truck driver failed to stop at the level crossing. The collision which occurred on March 18th, 2010 resulted in injury to one of the passengers on the train. The train and dump-drivers were unhurt in the collision which caused an estimated RUB0.45m damage to the train. It is expected that the damage costs will be billed to the party responsible for the collision. (March 18th, 2010)

Tenri City, Japan: Motorist stalls on crossing and escapes seconds before train arrives

A motorist escaped from his car with his life following the car having stalled on the level crossing in Tenri City, Nara Prefecture on March 17th, 2010. It is believed that the motorist stalled his car whilst crossing the railway and moved to a place of safety. The JR West train driver saw the car stalled on the level crossing from a distance of some 300 metres and was thus able to make an emergency brake application and slow the train substantially before the collision occurred. The collision occurred on March 17th, 2010.

(March 17th, 2010)

Uduwara, India: Protesters demand a level crossing
More than 500 protesters blocked the railway line near Uduwara railway station to demand that a level crossing is constructed to provide access to four villages. So far a highway has been constructed up to the railway. However, the road is useless for want of the level crossing. The standoff between the railway, other agencies and the villagers could, it seems, be resolved if the costs of staffing a level crossing were to be met by the community. This suggestion appears not to have been well received by the villagers who believe that their right to access should not be impeded by Indian Railways. (March 15th, 2010)

Sosnovoborsk, Russia: Grade separation works on course
A visit of the Governor of the Krasnoyarsk region to Sosnovoborsk included an inspection of the works to create grade separated highway access to the town in conjunction with construction of wider highway works to address congestion and improve traffic flow. The project will see the railway bridged in May when the new span is lowered into place. This milestone is critical to the completion of the wider project in October 2010. (March 15th, 2010)

Takenotsuka, Japan: Hundreds attend wreath laying five years on
Several hundred gathered at a wreath laying ceremony on March 15th, 2010 in Takensotsuka in memory of the four people killed in a level crossing accident five years ago. The ceremony took place at 17.51 as this was the time at which the accident occurred five years previously before the commitment to remove the railway from street level and to have an elevated railway station was taken (March 15th, 2010)

Bhubaneswar, India: Two killed in collision on unmanned crossing

Two people were killed when the truck in which they were travelling was struck by an express passenger train on an unmanned level crossing near Barang, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, during the afternoon of March 14th, 2010. Four others travelling on the truck were seriously injured.

The unmanned Barang level crossing has an accident history going back many years and those living in the neighbourhood have been exposed to messaging from the railway authorities explaining how to use level crossings safely.

It is not known if the truck driver involved in the latest accident had previously been exposed to messaging promoting the safe use of level crossings.

(March 15th, 2010)

Sialkot, Pakistan Woman dies in rickshaw after giving birth
A rickshaw conveying a woman and her newly born son to hospital was detained at a level crossing in the New Mianapura area of Sialkot. The mother dies while the rickshaw was still stuck at the level crossing and the baby was later transferred to hospital where his condition remains critical.		Pakistan Railways are investigating the circumstances surrounding the delay and the fatal consequences attributed to it. The incident was reported on March 15th, 2010. (March 15th, 2010)

Tokyo, Japan: East Japan Railway spreads safety message in the community

East Japan Railway (JR East) has launched the spring 2010 public safety awareness campaign with a focus on crossing tracks safely and eliminating abuse in pursuit of the company’s “vision zero” goal. The JR East campaign runs jointly with local police input along with the Traffic Safety Association. Indeed, this is the 20th year of the campaign which began in 1991.

The campaign is, in particular, targeting young and elderly drivers are most at risk of a level crossing accident. A poster campaign, aimed at professional drivers is also underway with the posters displayed at truck stops. Further messaging is being delivered via radio advertisements.

In fiscal year 2008, JR East experienced 43 level crossing accidents of which 25 involved cars.

(March 12th, 2010)

Madurai, India: Level crossing eliminated ahead of grade separated alternative
The Palanganatham level crossing in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, has been closed to allow work to start on a subway for pedestrians and light road vehicles and a road-over-rail bridge. The subway construction which started on March 25th, 2010 will provide a 7.5 metre wide and 3 metre high facility. It is anticipated that the subway will open for traffic by the end of August 2010. To the same timetable the railway intends that construction of the road over-bridge span across the railway is complete. Construction of the balance of the over-bridge and associated highway works will be complete in early 2012 if the current project timeline is maintained. (March 10th, 2010)

Shivrajpur, India: Eight children killed in collision on unmanned crossing

Nine people died – eight of them children when the tractor and trailer on which they were travelling was hit by a train on an unmanned level crossing in Uttaripura, near Shivrajpur, Uttar Pradesh. In addition to the fatalities a further 15 people were injured in the collision which occurred on March 9th, 2010.

The police wish to charge the tractor driver with negligent driving. However, he absconded from the scene of the accident and at the time of writing he had not been found.

(March 10th, 2010)

Jeppu, India: Overpass project approved

Funding has been secured for a project to replace the Mahakalipadpu level crossing in Jeppu, Karnataka. The project valued at more than INR120m will be funded jointly by Indian Railways and the state of Karnataka. Additionally using the same funding model it is expected that the Padil-Bajal level-crossing will be replaced with an underpass at a cost of approximately INR40m. Costing a similar amount, the state government is pursuing replacement of a level crossing in Bantwal Taluk too.

(March 7th, 2010)

Kishanganj, India: Demonstrators protest death of truck driver
Demonstrators disrupted trains on India’s North Frontier Railway in Gaisal, near Kishanganj, Bihar, in protest at the death of a truck driver in a collision on an unmanned level crossing. The objective of the protest was to secure agreement that the level crossing at which the accident occurred would be upgraded to a manned status as the accident history demonstrated that the level crossing is unsafe as currently configured. (March 6th, 2010)

Golaghat, India: Three critically injured in collision with ambulance

The driver and to passengers travelling in an ambulance were critically injured when it was struck by a train on an unmanned level crossing. The accident occurred on the Kakotigaon level crossing in the Golaghat District, Assam during the afternoon of March 6th, 2010.

(March 6th, 2010)

Nanyang City, Japan: Deaths attributed to negligent train driving

Traffic Police in Nanyang have passed papers relating to their investigation of a level crossing accident in April 2009 to prosecutors in the belief that the train driver missed a signal to stop because a tanker was stuck on the crossing ahead. The collision resulted in the death of a truck driver and minor injuries to a further three persons.

(March 6th, 2010)

Yoshikura, Japan: Wheelchair occupant killed on level crossing
The male occupant of a wheelchair was killed when it was struck by a train on a level crossing in Yoshikura, near Tokyo’s Narita Airport. The accident occurred during the evening of March 4th, 2010 on a level crossing much frequented by mobility impaired people living nearby at a disability rehabilitation centre. (March 5th, 2010)

Mogwase, South Africa: Safety Regulator investigates crossing deaths

South Africa’s Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) has announced the despatch of investigators to investigate the accident near Mogwase which on March 2nd, 2010 claimed the lives of six people, including five school children.

According to initial reports attributed to local sources the collision was between a minivan and a light locomotive operated by Transnet Freight Rail. The accident occurred at about 06.45 when the children were being transported to school.

(March 5th, 2010)