Railway officials, forums discuss deaths on the tracks

May 02, 2015 05:24 pm | Updated 05:24 pm IST

People crossing the railway gate at Chrompet Station. Photo: M. Karunakaran

People crossing the railway gate at Chrompet Station. Photo: M. Karunakaran

Southern Railway officials, Railway Police Force personnel, motormen, commuters and representatives from traffic and transportation forums met at the Southern Railway Headquarters Conference Hall, Park Town, on April 28 to discuss the issue of commuters illegally crossing the railway tracks from Chennai Beach and Tambaram Railway Stations.

Anupam Sharma, divisional railway manager, Southern Railway, Chennai, presided over the meeting.

“The main reasons for train-related deaths include disregard for the level crossing signals, use of cellphones while walking over the tracks and avoidance of foot-over-bridges,” said Sharma. Every day, on an average, three to four persons were hit by trains while walking over the tracks. Also, livestock and pet animals were hit by the moving trains, he pointed out.

Commuters and representatives of traffic and transportation forums said strict action should be initiated against those who cross the railway tracks in a manner that invites danger.

“People who trespass should be booked and asked to pay the fine. The offenders should not be allowed to go scot-free. The majority of victims in such train accidents are youngsters. Awareness should be created among college students and youth about the dangers of crossing the tracks,” said V. Santhanam, founder, Chromepet Rail Users Forum. “In order to prevent people from crossing tracks in an illegal manner, the Southern Railway has built subways, foot-over-bridges and compound walls. The compound walls are broken by anti-social elements,” officials pointed out.

Moreover, the commuters requested the officials to provide escalators, construct ramps (for senior citizens and physically-challenged people) and provide proper illumination on the borders of railway stations and on station roads.

Referring to a few fatal incidents, Santhanam said that people tended to walk along the tracks to avoid dark stretches.

A few motormen said that while crossing the tracks people underestimated the speed of the train . Given its speed, a train cannot be brought to a halt suddenly.”

Sharma said that steps would be taken to inspect spots where people trespass in large numbers and to make stations more commuters-friendly by providing ramps and escalators.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.