Eastern Railway (ER) has initiated a seven-day special safety campaign at non-interlocked level crossing (LC) gates throughout its network following a tragic incident in Behrampore, Murshidabad district. The accident, which resulted in the loss of five lives, including three schoolchildren, took place at an LC gate between Karnasubarna and Khagraghat Road stations that was not interlocked. Officials mentioned that if the gate had been interlocked, the assistant station master (ASM) or station master (SM) would have prevented the train from reaching the location.
Early on Friday morning, a school van was hit by a train while crossing the LC gate, along with other vehicles. Interlocked LC gates are linked to the nearest station cabin’s signaling system. In such cases, the ASM or SM informs the gateman to close the gate for the train to pass, ensuring safety measures are in place.
Non-interlocked LC gates lack these safety mechanisms and rely solely on verbal communication. Officials suspect that the gateman at Behrampore allowed vehicles to cross until the last minute without realizing the train’s proximity, resulting in the tragic accident. Efforts are underway to convert the approximately 60 non-interlocked LC gates in the ER network into interlocked ones to enhance safety measures.
