Renovating vulnerable level crossings

Arafat Ara Bangladesh Railway (BR) has decided to undertake two pilot projects involving a total cost of Tk 1.48 billion (Tk 148.26 crore) to renovate several hundred vulnerable level crossings, officials said. The decision has been taken in view of a number of fatal accidents that occurred at level crossings in recent years. "We've submitted project proposals to the planning commission (PC) to immediately renovate 380 vulnerable level crossings across the country," a senior official of the BR said. Gate barriers will be installed and gatekeepers will be recruited for 451 more level crossings under the projects. At the initial stage, works under the pilot projects will begin in the western and eastern regions of the country. Later, level crossings in other regions will be renovated, the official added. "The vulnerable level crossings are of the major reasons for most train accidents as the motorised vehicles often cross those points without following the signals, resulting in causalities," the official said adding that even many of the signal lights at the level-crossing points are out of order for many years. Experts said the station masters or other members of the staff are not responsible for some of the tragic accidents as those occurred due to the faulty signalling system. At present, there are 2855 km rail network in the country and there are only 210 level crossings along the railway track that are manned round the clock. Another BR official said there are 1083 unauthorised and 1412 authorised level crossings in the country. There are no gatekeepers and gate-barriers at 1042 authorised level crossings. "All concerned do need to appropriate how important the projects are," he said mentioning that 451 gate-barriers will be installed and 2557 gatemen will be employed under the projects to help avert any fatal accident. About the unauthorised level crossings, he said those who set up such crossings should bear the cost of their maintenance that are clearly spelt out in the railway engineering code 2028. "But unfortunately they didn't respond to the need, despite department's repeated requests. Even they do not maintain minimum safety measures at those level crossings where most fatal train accidents had taken place," he said adding that the higher authorities should look into the matter seriously. Country's most fatal accident occurred in 2010 when two passenger trains collided head-on at Narsingdi Railway Station, killing at least 19 people and injuring about 200, due to the faulty signalling system. A total of 55 people died in 2009 in train accidents. Of them, 51 died in collisions with other vehicles at the level crossings. The death toll was 53 in 2008 in 893 accidents, according to the record of BR.