Railways reports spike in cases of vehicles damaging boom barriers at level-crossings

Recurring cases of vehicles hitting boom barriers at level crossing gates in Tiruchi Railway Division resulting in their damage is causing concern to the railway administration as such incidents affect safety besides delaying trains

Recurring cases of vehicles hitting boom barriers at railway level crossings in Tiruchi Railway Division is causing concern to the administration as this affects safety besides delaying trains.

These cases have been reported despite awareness programmes being conducted regularly by the railways emphasising to the general public the need to strictly adhere to rules at the level-crossing gates and installation of caution boards a few metres away to alert road users.

Railway Protection Force sources said over 100 cases of vehicles hitting boom barriers causing damage had been reported in the last 17 months within the Tiruchi Railway Division, which maintains 493 level-crossing gates in 10 districts.

Ninety cases were reported during the calendar year 2024 (from January to December) and 39 cases January to May this year. The jurisdictional Railway Protection Force authorities had booked cases against the violators and slapped fine on the guilty. Such cases of vehicles crashing into boom barriers and damaging them have been reported along different broad gauge sections under the Tiruchi Division.

However, such cases were reported more along the broad gauge stretches from Sirkazhi to Vaitheeswarankoil, Chidambaram-Puduchathiram and between Kumbakonam and Darasuram. All the three stretches are along the Villupuram-Thanjavur main line section which is a one of the major routes in the limits of the Tiruchi Division.

The Railway Protection Force, in association with other departments, regularly conducts awareness campaigns on the precautions to be strictly followed at the level-crossing gates. Wherever there had been increase in the number of such incidents, steps are taken to address the issue and carry out campaigns at regular intervals. Necessary provisions of the Railway Act are invoked against the violators and fine amount imposed and realised from them, said RPF sources.