• Railways Dept. seeks Cabinet approval to hire  

The Department of Railways has sought approval from the Cabinet of Ministers to hire 1,200 employees to be deployed at some 400 railway crossing gates which are planned to be set up around the country.

Several accidents at faulty railway crossings have been reported in the past few months.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (26), the Railways General Manager H.M.K.W. Bandara said that the Department had taken several actions to resolve the issue of faulty railway crossings. "We continue to repair the defective crossings, and identify those that frequently develop faults. Some such crossings have been identified on the Puttalam Railway Line and they are planned to be removed in the coming days."

He also said that some 400 railway crossing gates are planned to be set up on all railway lines. "We have planned to set up 400 railway crossings. There should be 1,200 employees to operate them. We have sought Cabinet approval to recruit that number of employees from the multi-task force," he said, adding that the relevant communications have been referred to the Cabinet through the Ministry of Transport and Highways.

Speaking further, Bandara said that the Department had taken steps to put up sign boards indicating railway crossings so that accidents can be prevented. "We can set up gates and improve signal systems and do everything, but, the people should also be cautious and act carefully. We have therefore planned to put up sign boards and inform the public of measures that can be taken to ensure their safety."

Accidents due to railway crossings not operating properly have been reported on a frequent basis, and the latest such incident caused the death of a 36-year-old female and her two children aged seven and nine years. They were killed in an accident when a train travelling from Puttalam towards Chilaw collided with a motorcycle at a railway crossing in Arachchikattuwa.