NEW DELHI: In a major move to enhance railway safety, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday directed all railway zones to install CCTV cameras with recording capabilities at every level crossing (LC) across the country. The directive comes a day after a tragic collision between a passenger train and a school van at an unmanned level crossing in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district, which claimed the lives of at least three children and left several others injured.
In addition to CCTV installation, the minister also ordered a reduction in the traffic volume threshold for implementing interlocking systems at LCs—from 20,000 to 10,000 vehicles per day—so that more level crossings can be brought under automated safety mechanisms.
Officials said the directive was issued following a high-level safety review meeting in which the minister approved 11 key measures focused on improving safety at level crossings.
“All level crossing gates will now be equipped with CCTV monitoring systems to prevent accidents like the one in Cuddalore,” a senior official stated. To ensure uninterrupted power supply, the CCTV systems will be supported by solar panels, battery backup, UPS, and standard electricity connections.
Vaishnaw has also instructed the fast-tracking of interlocking projects, involving railway PSUs to speed up implementation. Interlocking ensures that a train cannot proceed unless the LC gate is properly closed, thereby reducing the risk of collisions. Currently, at non-interlocked gates, trains can move forward based on station master clearance, even if the gate isn’t fully secured—posing serious safety risks.
All level crossings with a daily vehicle count of over 10,000 will be interlocked, regardless of whether a Road Over Bridge (ROB) or Road Under Bridge (RUB) is planned at the location. For gates that are yet to be interlocked, officials will conduct daily random checks of voice recordings—at least two per division each day—to ensure protocol compliance. Divisional Railway Managers (DRMs) will be responsible for confirming that voice logging systems are active at all non-interlocked LCs.
In a related development, the ministry has also mandated that engineering trolleys used for track maintenance can now only operate with prior approval from relevant departments. This follows a recent fatal accident in Bihar’s Katihar district, where a train collided with a maintenance trolley, resulting in one death and three injuries.
Other safety enhancements include standardising speed breakers and installing adequate warning signage at all level crossings.
These measures mark a significant step towards strengthening rail safety infrastructure and preventing future tragedies on India’s vast railway network.
