Underpasses to be constructed to avert accidents at railway crossings
PR has decided to give contracts to private companies for making the underpasses.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Pakistan Railways (PR) has decided to give contracts to private companies for making underpasses at railway crossing points to avert the accidents that take lives of many people every year.
As per railway spokesperson, two meetings have been done with officials of Planning and Development Board, and consultations on high level are also being carried out to implement the new system which will start stepwise in all big cities of the country.
According to sources, PR has decided to introduce new system on the pattern of Motorways and National Highways in which underpasses will be built at the railway crossings and toll tax will be received from all the vehicles passing through them.
The project will be completed in all big cities in the first phase, and small cities and towns will be entertained in the second step.
The purpose of giving contracts to private companies will be to avoid putting burden on national treasure. The companies which will build underpasses will receive toll tax till the recovery of their money.
The sources further revealed that PR has taken this step because it is getting defamed due to the accidents that occur at railway crossings, and the institution has to bear losses worth millions of rupees as a result. Furthermore, these accidents also become a source of taking precious human lives.
According to facts and figure, 188 accidents happened in last three years at unmanned railway crossing points, more than 74 persons died while wrongly crossing the track and 115 got injured.
