Two people are reported to have died in a collision on a level crossing near the Shahdara level crossing which left a further 20 injured. The circumstances surrounding the collision are unusual with a truck mowing down the crossing keeper as he moved to close the gates for the oncoming Rawalpindi express. Next, the truck driver abandoned his truck on the level crossing and fled as the train collided with the truck. As one might expect, a police investigation to identify the errant truck driver has been initiated. This collision was reported on December 29th, 2011.

(December 29th, 2011)

A passenger train collided with a pick-up truck on a level crossing in Pran Buri, Prachuab Kirikhan province, derailing the train which was then damaged by a fire caused by the collision. One person died as a result of this collision which also left 124 people with injuries of varying seriousness.

This accident occurred on December 28th, 2012.

(December 28th, 2012)

A 578 metre-long road-over-rail bridge has been completed as a replacement for the Katheri Bagh level crossing in Kanpur. The bridge which opened to road traffic on December 22nd, 2011, has been welcomed by many, particularly as the new over-bridge replaces one level crossing and eases traffic using a second.

(December 22nd, 2011)

Family members of the ten children killed in a level crossing collision on August 25th, 2010 are among those who have  welcomed the conviction for murder of the taxi driver responsible for the deaths which occurred on the Buttskop level crossing in Blackheath. Likewise Humphreys was convicted of the attempted murder of the four children who were not fatally injured
The conviction for murder of taxi driver Jacob Humphreys in the Western Cape High Court is the first of its kind in South Africa. Indeed, it sets a precedent that ought to be considered in other jurisdictions.

The judge made it clear that he considered the reckless driving of the minibus taking the children to school was akin to throwing a man to the lions. He also agreed with the prosecution’s view that Humphrey’s actions were nothing more than a form of “Russian roulette”.

Both the federal and provincial transport ministers welcomed the verdict and made it clear that similar prosecutions will follow for reckless motorists showing a wilful disregard for human life.

Handing down the verdict the judge said that the question before his court was whether Humphreys foresaw the possibility that his actions could lead to his passengers being seriously injured or killed. In this case, the judge made clear, was that the answer was in the affirmative.

Bail was requested and declined pending sentencing on February 20th, 2012. However, a subsequent hearing in the Western Cape High Court saw bail reinstated to the amazement of those who had seen their children killed in the level crossing collision in Blackheath on August 25th, 2010.

In the absence of the trial judge, Humphreys’ application for leave to appeal was heard by the Acting Deputy Judge President who reinstated bail until January 30th, 2012; by which time the application for bail to be reinstated must be heard by the trial judge.

(December 13th – 21st, 2011)

As a result of traffic congestion and an innate belief in their invincibility led motorists to enter a level crossing in Asoke while their exit from the crossing was impeded by standing traffic ahead.

The ensuing collision saw nine vehicles hit by a train, resulting in ten people being injured, six of them critically. Police have confirmed that the active level crossing functioned correctly while standing traffic obstructed the crossing. It is also reported that the railway authority had deployed an attendant at this crossing. However, this appears to have achieved little if anything more than him waving a red flag at the approaching train which did not prevent the train over-running the level crossing.

(December 14th, 2011)

The Railway Board has published safety statistics which show that 1,220 people have been killed in train accidents in the past five years. Of these 717 were killed in collisions on unmanned level crossings, representing 59% of the total.

In the year to March 31st, 2011 the Railway Board has reported that 124 were killed in train accidents at unmanned level crossing which compares with 170 the previous year, 129 in 2008-9, 148 in 2007-8 and 146 in 2006-7.

The Railway Board has said that addressing the risk arising at unmanned level crossings is a priority going forward.

(December 14th, 2011)

The large number of unprotected level crossings remaining on the Sri Lankan railway system is a cause for concern as they increase safety risks and reduce the speed at which trains are permitted to travel. At the last count there were 800 such crossings with, for example 160 remain between Colombo and Matara.

The most recent accident on a Sri Lankan unprotected level crossing occurred during the evening of December 30th, 2011. This accident in which a truck was struck by a train resulted in two deaths.

At present, funding has still to be made available to allow Sri Lankan Railways to make substantial progress in upgrading level crossings to a protected status. However, as a result of the number of accidents occurring at unprotected crossings the Transport Minister has is rejecting all calls for new level crossings so as not to exacerbate the problem.

(December 8th, 2011)

The decision of the South Western Railway to proceed with the construction of an underpass to replace the notorious Byappanahalli level crossing in Bangalore was widely welcomed.

This very heavily used level crossing is being eliminated at a cost of INR 170 million ending what can be a 20 minute wait at peak travel times for the crossing to reopen to road traffic. If construction proceeds to plan, the new rail-over-road bridge will be complete and the underpass open to road traffic by June 30th, 2012.

(December 8th, 2011)

Three people were killed and a further nine injured when a passenger train collided with a loaded dump-truck on a level crossing in Rampur, Kamrup District, in Assam. The collision which occurred at approximately 15.00 on December 7th, 2011 caused two people to fall to their deaths from the train, probably because they were travelling adjacent to an open door. The third fatality was the dump-truck driver.

The damage to the train was significant, leading to the two members of the train crew who were on the locomotive being hospitalised along with four passengers as well as two others who were travelling on the dump-truck.

Just two months before the accident, Indian Railways had sought to eliminate this level crossing as it was little used and an alternative grade-separated intersection with the railway is available about a mile away from the level crossing.

(December 7th, 2011)