Deaths on rail tracks multiply

The number of people killed on rail tracks and at level crossings across the country is increasing alarmingly, rendering ineffective different preventive measures taken so far by the authorities concerned. 
Constructing overpass on level crossing and setting up fence along the rail tracks are among the initiatives that could not hold such deaths in check. 
Moreover, about 85 per cent level crossings are without gateman while the rail tracks running through locality are without any grade separations. 
According to BR information book 2015, the number of people killed on tracks and crossings, apart from passengers and railway employees, were 65 in 2014-15 fiscal, 23 in 2013-14 fiscal, 38 in 2012-13 fiscal and 35 in 2011-12 fiscal.
The situation turned worse in the current years as shown by statistics provided by Government Railway Police.
On tracks of Narayanganj-Dhaka-Joydebpur section, one of the busiest and popular sections in the country, 273 people were killed in 2015 and 213 people between January and October this year.
On October 16, three children were killed after a local train knocked them while they were taking selfie on mobile phone on the railway line in Brahmanbaria.
Overpasses on some level crossings in the capital at places including Khilgaon and Banani failed to serve the main objective of stopping traffic at level crossings, officials have said. 
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Railway officials have blamed the negligence of people themselves for the increasing number of deaths on tracks and level crossings while out of 2,541 level crossings all over the country 2,170 are unmanned and 1,128, which were constructed by LGED, other local government bodies, RHD, different ports and private organisations, are unauthorised.
Out of its total 2,877-kilometre routes, BR has erected fences along five km out of the 38km of Narayanganj-Dhaka-Joydebpur section.
BR officials have said that fencing the entire railway network, as recommended by a parliamentary committee in 2014, will be an 
unrealistic exercise because of the high costs and people’s never-ending negligence.
Following the Sunday’s tragic incident, an emergency meeting was held on Monday at Rail Bhaban, with railways ministry secretary Md Feroz Salah Uddin in the chair. 
The secretary told New Age that many people were dying on rail tracks and level crossings due to their own negligence, mainly while talking over mobile phone. 
He said they had decided to operate mobile courts to fine people as per the Railways Act 1890 for walking on tracks and deploy law enforcers on some accident-prone spots.
Other decisions included raising awareness through mobile messaging, launching awareness programmes by railway officials, media, local administrations, educational and regional institutions and putting up signboards in accident prone areas. 
At present BR is conducting a feasibility study for construction of overpass/underpass in Narayanganj-Joydebpur section of railway to increase train speed and reduce accidents.
Under the study, the railway is looking at the feasibility of building overpasses or underpasses at 40 authorised and 36 unauthorised level crossing gates on Joydevpur-Dhaka-Narayanganj section.
BR director general Md Amzad Hossain told New Age on Thursday that only overpass was not a solution to uninterrupted train movement on this section. 
‘We have already seen that at Khilgaon, where there is an overpass. Traffic is there both on and under the overpass, which is not right,’ he said. 
Amzad Hossain said they wanted to shut down traffic at the level crossings, which could not be implemented due to the non-cooperation of the Dhaka’s two city corporations and local administrations. 
The railway would like to go for ‘grade separation’ and close the level crossings completely for traffic, he added. 
The authorities identified railway tracks near Gandaria, Mogbazar, Karwan Bazar and Banani as the most accident-prone.
Project director of the feasibility study Mamunul Islam told New Age recently that the initiative had been taken to increase train speed on the section. 
The train speed is now the lowest 25 kilometres per hour on Chashara-Narayanganj section and the highest 65 kilometres per hour on Dhaka-Joydevpur section, officials have said.
The railway’s highest train speed is now 80 kilometres per hour.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net