NFR initiates ‘manned level crossings’

Maligaon, August 13 (MExN): The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has 1499 number of Manned Level Crossings throughout the zone which is spread across different states.

These level crossings are all “manned” which means every level crossing gate has a person who is posted at the gate and who is responsible for the closing and the opening of the gate.

A press release from PJ Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer stated these Level Crossings have a stipulated system of operation which is done to ensure the safe passage of trains and road vehicles without interfering with each other.

In a number of level crossing gate the normal position is “closed to road traffic” which means the gate will always be closed to the passage of road vehicles. Such gates can be opened for the passage of road vehicles only when there is no train passing and elaborate system has to be followed to open the gates to road traffic.

With increasing development and increasing ownership of road vehicles, the release stated it was noticed that at such gates, considerable inconvenience was caused to road users because the road would be closed to road traffic for long periods of time and road vehicles users have to wait at the gate for long time.

It was seen there was considerable pressure on the gateman who were posted at such gates to open the gate and they have to work under a lot of stress. In view of these conditions, NFR changed the normal position of many gates which are closed to road traffic to open to road traffic which means that these gates will now be always opened to road traffic for the passage of road users.

These gates would now be closed to road traffic only during the passage of trains.

So far NFR has changed the systems in 558 numbers of gates. The operation of gate has also become less stressful and swift.

It was also mentioned that depending on traffic density and the density of road vehicles, NFR is undertaking the construction of Road Over Bridge and Road Under Bridge at different locations or case to case feasibility basis.