MADURAI: In a move to minimise accidents, Southern Railway has embarked on a massive programme to replace unmanned level crossings with subways.

According to railway sources, the multi-crore project will soon be launched in the Madurai division that has 441 unmanned level crossings, the largest number in the zone, along its 1,450 km stretch. The Railway Board has sanctioned Rs. 21 crore to construct 52 subways in the division this year.

The works will first be taken up along 300 km of metre gauge routes closed for gauge conversion.

Of the 1,200 unmanned level crossings in the zone, 120 have qualified for conversion into subways considering the volume of traffic density.

The "limited use" subways with a vertical clearance of 3.66 metres will also be safe for buses to pass through. The creation of subways will not only minimise accidents but also facilitate operation of high-speed trains, the sources added.

When contacted, Additional Divisional Railway Manager M. Suyambulingam said many accidents at unmanned level crossings occurred due to negligence of road users who violated safety norms prescribed under the Motor Vehicles Act.

"The move will contain accidents to a large extent. When the number of Train Vehicle Unit (TVU) crosses 6,000, unmanned level crossings qualify for conversion into manned gate or subway," he said on Sunday.

The ultimate aim is to convert all unmanned level crossings into manned ones or subways over a period of time.

The move comes close on the heels of a few accidents at unmanned level crossings, including two at Kancheepuram since November 2006, in which 28 persons were killed.

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