Western Zone of Bangladesh Railway has adopted a Taka 44.15 crore level crossing rehabilitation project aims at ensuring the safe and uninterrupted movement of rail and road traffic by upgrading and manning the proposed level crossing gates.
To decrease the running time of passengers train by upgrading the level crossing gates and thus improving the sectional capacity at large extent is another goal of the project.
To this end, more than 326 level crossings will be rehabilitated, constructed and upgraded along with necessary gate keepers, said Afzal Hossain, Additional Chief Engineer (Track).
Upon its quick and successful implementation, the project will provide signaling arrangement especially in highway level crossing gates to avoid accidents that is very important in the present context.
Upgradation and manning the level crossing gates will ensure the utmost safety for rail and road traffic users especially for poor and vulnerable. There is an urgent need to safe the human lives which are endangered over the long periods when accident occurs at level crossing gates.
More than 757 out of 978 level crossings under the West Zone are running without gatemen. Besides, only 189 of the working gatemen are permanent staff of Bangladesh Railway while the rest 122 are temporary employees working for a daily wage of Tk 150.
Besides, there are 271 unauthorised level crossings in the zone covering Rajshahi, Rangpur and Khulna administrative divisions, said Engineer Afzal Hossain.
“When a road is linked across the railway track, it is mandatory that the departments concerned arrange a meeting with the railway department about coordination of the matter.
