Danapur, India: Great risk from 80 illegal unmanned level crossings

Merely saying that 80 unmanned level crossings are illegal does not absolve the railway authorities of responsibility to address risk arising on the railway. As a case in point the Danapur Division of the East Central Railway has a total of 328 level crossings of which 80 are unmanned. Each of these unmanned level crossings is said to be provided in contravention of Paragraph 17 of the Indian Railways Act.

Why, because this legislative provision all new level crossings are to be constructed and maintained by the state government concerned. These crossings should be protected and funded by state governments.

Given that the railway has in the past turned a blind-eye to these illegal crossings it is, in effect, complicit because it acts as if it condones their existence and takes no steps to immediately close them or upgrade them to a standard acceptable to the railway.

(June 28th, 2011)

Concerns have been raised that the number of level crossing accidents on the JR Shikoku network in 2011 will exceed numbers experienced in recent years, potentially as far back as 2002. Estimates are that 27 accidents will occur in fiscal year 2011 with nine having occurred since April, leading to six deaths.

Given the enduring nature of level crossing accidents, JR Shikoku is distributing a DVD promoting safe behaviour at level crossings to driving schools.

(June 27th, 2011)

The Western Cape’s Transport Minister and campaigner for improved safety at level crossings has reported a motorist for prosecution following his discovery of a smashed level crossing barrier on June 20th, 2011, while on his way to work. The crossing in question is on White Road near Retreat and is scheduled to be equipped with enforcement cameras.

(June 21st, 2011)

The driver of a light truck died when it was hit by a train on a level crossing in Nakano, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture. The accident occurred at approximately 07.30 on June 20th, 2011. The question that investigators must answer is how the truck came to be trapped on the level crossing when the barriers lowered for the approaching train.

(June 21st, 2011)

A motorist and his passenger were killed when the car in which they were travelling was struck by a train on an unmanned level crossing between Tetri and Mahdattpur. The accident occurred at approximately 17.30 on June 10th, 2011.

(June 20th, 2011)

Turkish Railways (TCDD) has held high-level meetings with officials of trades unions at which safety at level crossings has been discussed. The background to the discussions was that since 2005 TCDD has been committed to addressing unsafe conditions at level crossings on a programme basis. Also, that casualties arising at level crossings have in recent years reduced.

However, TCDD accepts that there is room for further improvement and is committed to achieving this in conjunction with other public authorities.
Areas where improvements can be made include:

• Improving roadway conditions on approach to and across the railway
• Enhancing advance warning of the presence of a level crossing
• Grade separation of high-use roads and elimination of level crossings
• Improving sight-lines
• Enhancing drainage at and around level crossings
• Upgrading to active controls and upgrading within the suite of available active controls
• Enhancing the education of users of level crossings

At present there are 3,476 level crossings on the TCDD network, equivalent to there being a level crossing every 2.6 kilometres.

(June 17th, 2011)

Progress towards the trial for murder of the driver of the vehicle in which ten children were killed has been marked by a pre-trail hearing in the Western Cape High Court on June 2nd and 17th, 2011 at which counsel for the defence was appointed.

The multiple murder charges relate to a collision on a level crossing in Blackheath last August. The prosecution is alleging that the death of the ten children was caused by the 55-year-old overtaking traffic which had stopped at the crossing as required and then attempted to cross the railway when the level crossing was closed to road traffic.

The trial itself is slated to begin in November 2011.

(June 3rd & 17th, 2011)

The Chennai Division of India’s Southern Railway has announced plans to construct 14 limited use subways to replace the same number of unmanned level crossings. The rail-over-road bridges will provide a 3.5 metre clearance for road traffic allowing all but some commercial traffic to continue to use the subways, higher vehicles will be diverted.

Ten of the underpasses are to be constructed on the rail corridor linking Chennai with Gudur with the others split between the Chengalpattu to Kancheepuram and Arakonam to Renigunta rail corridors.

The announcement came in the context of initiatives launched to mark the International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) and was accompanied by a commitment to eliminate all 60 unmanned level crossings on the Chennai Division by 2015.

(June 16th, 2011)

India’s Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has published an audit report which shows that Indian Railways is responsible for a systematic failure to manage risk at level crossings.

The CAG audit report released at the same time that Indian Railways was participating in the International Level Crossing Awareness Day shows that many of the 171 level crossings inspected across India had defects that had not been addressed.

The audit covered the provision of 92 manned and 79 unmanned level crossings at which failings regularly identified included non-provision of reflectorized warning signs, a lack of interlocking of the level crossings with signalling controls, a lack of required fencing and poor positioning of the barriers at manned level crossings.

The report also slams the state governments as a barrier to timely replacement of level crossings with grade-separated alternative routes across the railway. The state governments are castigated for their lack of willingness to share the costs of the new structures with rail authorities, delays in land acquisition to allow the grade-separated intersections to be constructed and delays in estimating costs. Taken together, these factors mean that Indian Railways struggles to meet targets for the reduction in the number of level crossings.

(June 15th, 2011)

Paarl, South Africa: Minister inspects crossing with double fatality history

Robin Carlisle, Minister for Transport in the Western Cape marked International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) on June 9th, 2011 with a visit to the Simonsvlei level crossing near Paarl at which two people have died in recent months (LXinfo November 2010 and June2011).

However, although the minister was able to talk positively about the work of the task force that he has established to address level crossing risk, the minister indicated that the upgrade of the Simonsvlei level crossing from a passive to an active status was not planned. Rather, the minister highlighted that the crossing was compliant with standards and that it is user behaviours rather than the configuration of the crossing that has to change.

The crossing will not be upgraded because road traffic levels are low and that sighting of approaching trains is very good.

Robin Carlisle said:  “During my visit this morning I noticed a marked improvement in driver behaviour. The last time I was here, most drivers simply drove across the stop and onto the railway tracks without stopping, with the result that about 200 fines were issued. Today almost every motorist obeyed the rules of the road”.

(June 15th, 2011)

 

India’s East Central Rail is mounting a week of initiatives around the International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) which this year was on June 9th. Each of the East Central Railway’s five divisions has launched awareness raising activities using a team of safety officers focussing on misuse of unmanned level crossings. Additionally workshops have been held for East Central Railway managers.

(June 10th, 2011)

North Central Railway (NCR) officials targeted unmanned level crossings in and around the Allahabad, Jhansi and Agra areas to mark the International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD), this year held on June 9th.

For example, on NCR’s Allahabad a public awareness campaign was launched at unmanned crossings along the Shikohabad to Farrukhabad and Chunar to Chopan rail corridors with leaflets handed out to users of unmanned crossings, including those giving access to station platforms. Additionally a safety DVD was used to communicate with groups of villagers.

(June 9th, 2011)

India’s substantial progress in reducing the number of level crossings nationwide was celebrated in figures released to support the participation of India Railways’ participation in the International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) held on June 9th, 2011.

In total 641 grade separation projects were completed during the financial year 2010-2011. Many of these were limited height subways which balance cost with utility by allowing pedestrians and all but large commercial vehicles to pass under the railway.
Indian Railways tracks are crossed 32,694 authorised level crossings of which 14,853 are unmanned passive crossings.

(June 8th, 2011)

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has challenged the prevailing levels of user misuse of level crossings in Jos, the Plateau State capital. NRC has said that crossing users who do not respect the rules for the safe use of level crossings will be prosecuted. The endemic impatience of motorists in Jos leads to too many collisions between trains and motor vehicles with risk to life and limb was the central call from the NRC District Manager.

Henceforth anyone whose vehicle hits or is hit by a train will be required to pay a fine of NGN 0.1 million. Additionally the motorist will be liable for the costs of repairing any damage caused to the train. To ensure that fines are paid and restitution made, motorists can expect to have their vehicles are impounded until liabilities are discharged. NRC says that this is not a means of making money.

(June 8th, 2011)

The deployment of traffic police to address traffic congestion and misuse of the Shastri Nagar level crossing in Ludhiana has been long overdue say those afflicted by the traffic congestion which occurs daily. Likewise, railway staff members responsible for the safe operation of the level crossing have welcomed the initiative which will seek to counter misuse of the crossing.

The action to address issues arising at the Shastri Nagar crossing has prompted calls for the traffic police to similarly deploy officers at the Pakhowal Road and Dana Mandi level crossings. Hopes are that the traffic police will regularly deploy to the three crossings until they are replaced with grade separated routes across the railway. The police say that they do not have the establishment necessary to accomplish this.

(June 8th, 2011)

A new level crossing has been opened in Ludhiana, Punjab to reconnect residents of the Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar district with the rest of the city. The level crossing regularises the widely practiced trespass which has prevailed for many years. The level crossing is staffed.

(June 7th, 2011)

A woman’s life was saved because the panic button was pressed. The incident occurred at 02.00 on June 5th, 2011 when the woman froze when the car which she was travelling was trapped when barriers lowered for an approaching train in the Hishida neighbourhood in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture.

(June 5th, 2011)

India’s Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, has called on the Minister of Railways to ensure that signage and the condition of the road surface at unmanned level crossings are improved to a level that is compliant with laid-down standards. The call for action from the highest level in government has been prompted by the recent spate of high-consequence accidents at unmanned level crossings.

(June 2nd, 2011)

Dr. Manmohan Singh, India’s Prime Minister