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Railway
tells motorists to protect themselves at crossings General Manager Piyal de Silva reacting to criticism of the Railway in the aftermath of the killing of two persons at a railway crossing in Wadduwa on Friday said the Railway could not be held responsible for unmanned rail crossings. "Tt's not our fault that people get killed while crossing. There are unmanned vehicle crossings all over the world and it is the duty of the driver to take preventative measures," the Railway chief said. "We keep signs in front of these crossings people ought to follow them. Earlier we use to have gate-men working eight hours a day for one shift. But they kept the gates open and neglected their duty. This led to even worse disasters." The Railway chief said there were about 740 unprotected level crossings islandwide. The Railway Authority had plans to install some 240 automatic gates, but it was an expensive operation. "The estimated cost of each automatic gate is 2 million rupees. But still we will need people to operate and stay near it in case of an emergency," he said. "I feel the cost should be borne partly by those who live near the railway gates and the local council should do something about it," he said. Meanwhile, Transport Minister Felix Perera yesterday called for a report on the Wadduwa tragedy. He admitted there was no communication between the railgate keepers and the nearest station. The minister said he would look at the possibility of installing a new signal system at rail crossings with aid from Finland. The Wadduwa tragedy claimed the lives of 62-year old Consultant Accountant W.M.C.J. Wijethunge 62, and his secretary Mallika Wickramage. Relatives said they were on their way for a seminar at the Ocean Villa Hotel. Their car was flung to a distance of more than 50 metres after it was hit by the train at the unprotected railway crossing. |
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