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A manned level crossing.[/caption]
Dimapur, Aug. 14 (EMN): The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has 1499 manned level crossings throughout the zone which are spread across different states. These level crossings are all “manned” which means every level crossing gate has a person who is posted at the gate and is responsible for the closing and the opening of the gate, stated the chief public relations officer of NFR in an update on Wednesday. These Level Crossings have a stipulated system of operation which is done to ensure the safe passage of trains and road vehicles without interfering with each other. Every gate has a normal position of working which means the position at which the gates are placed when there is no train passing across the gate. In a number of level crossing gate the normal position is “closed to road traffic” which means the gate will always be closed to the passage of road vehicles. Such gates can be opened for the passage of road vehicles only when there is no train passing and elaborate system has to be followed to open the gates to road traffic.
With increasing development and increasing ownership of road vehicles it was noticed that at such gates, considerably inconvenience was caused to road users because the road would be closed to road traffic for long periods of time and road vehicles users have to wait at the gate for a long time. It was seen there was considerable pressure on the gateman who were posted at such gates to open the gate and they have to work under a lot of stress.
In view of these conditions, the NFR has changed the normal position of many gates which are closed to road traffic to open to road traffic which means that these gates will now be always opened to road traffic for the passage of road users. These gates would now be closed to road traffic only during the passage of trains. So far NFR has changed the systems in 558 numbers of gates after which the road users been relieved of the inconvenience of having to wait at these level crossings gate for long period of time. The operation of gate has also become less stressful and swift.
