Chennai’s 14 level crossings to be manned

The Southern Railway will convert 14 of the 58 unmanned level crossings in the Chennai division into manned crossings by the end of the current financial year. It hopes to have personnel posted at all the crossings in the division by 2015. More than one million passengers using suburban trains in the Chennai division face a significant risk to life while using the unmanned level crossings and tracks. Recently, the Railway Board also conducted a month-long ‘Safety Drive’ to make pedestrians and vehicle owners aware of safety measures, and to discourage practices such as trespassing on railway tracks and talking on the cell phone while crossing tracks. The campaign was carried out at level crossings, regional transport offices and petrol pumps.