The first bowstring girder flyover in the suburbs of Eshwari Nagar, Pallavaram, Tamil Nadui s expected to be completed by January next year. The level crossing on Old Grand Southern Trunk Road will be eliminated when the new bridge is complete.

The two-lane structure will be 650 metres long and 7.5 metres wide and will feature steps down to Pallavaram railway station.

The highways department completed its part of the project, including building ramps on either side of the rail line and laying bitumen-topped service lanes, in March 2008.  The Southern Railway has been delayed in completing the structure over the railway because it has not had sufficient manpower available.

(July 28th, 2011)

(July 28th, 2011)

Two occupants of a car were killed when the car in which they were travelling collided with a train on a level crossing near the village of Dupadu, Kurnool, Andrha Pradesh at approximately 15.30 on July 26th, 2011.

Both the driver and his passenger died instantly in the collision which was on an unmanned passive level crossing. Previously, about three years ago, two people were killed on this level crossing.

(July 26th, 2011)

Indonesia’s Public Works Ministry is looking into possibilities of building flyovers or underpasses as replacements for a number of level crossings across Jakarta to help reduce commuter train headways.

Work is in-hand considering how six or seven level crossings might be eliminated within three years. The Japanese Government is expected to fund these works.

(July 25th, 2011)

Manmohan Singh, India’s Prime Minister doubled-up as acting Railways Minister after Mamata Banerjee was elected as Chief Minister of West Bengal. Unfortunately the period when Manmohan Singh was Railways Minister was marred by a series of high profile railway accidents including two at level crossings.

As a result a call was issued that Indian Railways develop and submit a detailed safety plan to address the presently unacceptably large number of fatalities occurring on the country’s railways.

A key issue that has to be addressed is the chronic under-funding of railway safety and an historic attitude that deaths of road users at level crossings were not a significant safety management issue as virtually all such deaths were the fault of road users, including pedestrians and cyclists. Now there is a recognition that more has to be done to address risk arising from user misuse, particularly at unmanned passive level crossings.

(July 23rd, 2011)

The police investigation consequent upon the death of a motorist on a level crossing in Tsunan, Niigata prefecture has led to papers being filed with the state prosecutor which allege negligence on the part of the railway.

The allegations relate to a January 19th, 2011 fatal accident that occurred when the road approaching the level crossing had been cleared leading to very restricted sighting of trains because of the 2.4 metre height of the snow banks which had not been cleared by railway staff in accordance with procedures.

(July 22nd, 2011)

India’s Central Railway is planning to make a safety awareness video to encourage safe behaviours around the railway, including at level crossings.

The Central Railway has approached the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) with a view to them producing the public safety video. The objective will be to make a short film, no longer than two minutes, for each topic to be addressed.

(July 21st, 2011)

The concept of quiet zone within which train horn noise associated with level crossings is eliminated is alien to the Indian psyche. The stance being taken by Indian Railways to a host of complaints from recent urban development in close proximity to the railway is a case of we were here first and rules is rules.

At the heart of the complaint is the rule requiring the sounding of train horns on the approach to and as trains pass over level crossings. Added to this is the train horn noises associated with shunting operations. The underpinning rationale for the sounding of horns is clearly to save life. This, however, does not mean that there are not better ways than the near continuous sounding of train horns to achieve this.

Now is the time for some lateral thinking that takes account of community concerns that now is the time to reduce the nuisance associated with the sounding of train horns.

(July 19th, 2011)

The Western Railway has invited tenders for a project to construct a road-over-railway bridge in Oshiwara, Jogeshwari West, Mumbai. When complete the new grade-separated route across the railway will allow the level crossing on the road linking Jogeshwari with Andheri to be closed. A further benefit of eliminating the level crossing is the Oshiwara railway station project can move ahead.

The estimated cost of bridge span over the railway is INR 145 million, a cost which will be shared between railway and civic authorities. Completing the approaches to the bridge and associated highway works comes at a cost of a further INR 380 million which will be funded by civic authorities.

(July 19th, 2011)

Four people were killed when they were struck by a train on the Bhanuabaha unmanned level crossing in Mirzapur, near Tangail. The accident occurred at noon on July 17th, 2011.

(July 17th, 2011)

A 16-year-old male was killed when he was hit by a train on a level crossing in Kyoto Coty, Kyoto Prefecture. The accident occurred at 20.06 on July 16th, 2011 when the youth crossed the railway despite the barriers having been lowered for an approaching train. The youth is believed to have been very familiar with the level crossing at which he died as it is in close proximity to his home.

(July 16th, 2011)

(July 13th, 2011)

A woman has been killed on the infamous Vikhroli level crossing in greater Mumbai (LXinfo March 2011) a week after a footbridge was opened for use. The fatality occurred as the woman took a supposed short-cut at 19.18 on July 12th, 2011.

Officials of the Central Railway have highlighted that the numbers using the over-bridge remains very low compared with those who persist in using the level crossing. A recent agreement has allowed plans to be taken forward which will see the level crossing eliminated and access to it bricked-up, potentially as soon as July 28th, 2011.

(July 13th, 2011)

A motorist whose car intruded onto a level crossing after the barriers had lowered has been attributed to a medical emergency. The motorist is understood to have blacked-out shortly before his car passed through the lowered barrier at a level crossing in Konan, Aichi prefecture at approximately 09.00 on July 11th, 2011.

(July 11th, 2011)

Three people have died as a consequence of a collision on a level crossing in Kazasinda, Elaziğ. The collision with a minibus occurred at approximately 12.30 on July 7th, 2011.

(July 8th, 2011)

At least 38 people were killed when the bus on which they travelling was hit by a train on an unmanned level crossing in the village of Addupura, near Patiyali, Uttar Pradesh. The collision occurred at about 01.55 on July 7th, 2011 when the bus was returning wedding guests home.

In addition to the 38 who were killed in the collision, a further 40 were taken to hospital with injuries of varying severity A further 20 of those travelling on the bus were not injured to the extent that they required hospital treatment. The consequences were so high because the bus was over-loaded with many people travelling on the roof who were thrown to the ground when the bus was hit by the train reported as travelling at 115 kph at the point of impact. 

It was understood that the bus came to a stand on the level crossing as a result of a technical failure, possibly a broken axle. However, subsequent reports suggest that the person driving the bus deliberately stopped on the level crossing because of an altercation between the crew members.

A report attributed to a passenger says that the driver and conductor were inebriated

These issues will be central to the inquiries launched as a result of this accident.

(July 7th, 2011)

(July 6th, 2011)

Residents of Mallegowdana Koppalu, near Mysore, Karnatka blocked a level crossing for more than hour on July 3rd, 2011. The community was protesting against the delay in upgrading an unmanned level crossing to a staffed status. The 200 protesters made it abundantly clear that they held the railway authorities guilty for the death of two motorists on the unmanned crossing the previous day.

The fatal accident occurred when the van in which the victims were travelling was hit by a train during the evening of July 2nd 2011. The protesters said that the fatal accident followed a string of other accidents on the level crossing in recent months.

(July 5th, 2011)

India’s Western Railway has announced that it is planning to construct 13 additional footbridges to allow a corresponding reduction in the number of level crossings.

At present 88 footbridges are available across Mumbai’s metropolitan area. Within two years, 13 more will be completed, ten at Borivli, Dadar Goregaon, Kandivli, Mahalaxmi, Malad, Matunga, Parel, Santacruz and Vile Parle railway stations. Non-station related footbridges are also planned in Jogeshwari, Kandivli and Borivli.

The announcement of the additional footbridges came as the Western Railway opened the 88th footbridge on July 3rd, 2011 on Elphinstone Road to the south of the station.

(July 4th, 2011)

Five people were killed and a further five seriously injured when the vehicle in which they were travelling was hit by a train on a level crossing. The accident occurred on July 1st, 2011 in Kondapakagudem, Nalgonda District, Andhra Pradesh. Witnesses have said that the vehicle driver continued to cross the railway despite several shouted warnings that a train was approaching.

(July 2nd, 2011)

Four people were killed and a further seven injured when a van which had stopped at a manned level crossing was rear-ended by a bus. The accident resulted in both the van and the bus ending up on the railway at a level crossing in Vaikundam, near Salem, Tamil Nadu. Both vehicles were hit by the freight train for which the barriers had been lowered with catastrophic consequences for those travelling in the road vehicles. The accident occurred on July 1st, 2011.

(July 1st, 2011)