ISLAMABAD: As many as 291 minor and major accidents have been occurred over Railway network of the country during the period from 2014 to October 2017. Out of which, 40 accidents were occurred in 2014, 104 in 2015, 89 in 2016 and 28 in 2017, sources in the Ministry of Railways told APP on Wednesday.
They said that around 250 accidents were caused due to negligence of road users while negotiating the manned, unmanned level crossing and unauthorized locations.
The responsibility of the accidents in most cases lied on the road users under section 91/1 of Motor Vehicle Ordinance, 1965, and sections 128 and 129 of Railways Act, they added.
The sources said that as many as 106 persons were killed in the accidents and 454 were injured.
They said that around 115 staffers of Pakistan Railways were penalized for negligence of the accidents and the punishments which were awarded included compulsory retired from service, removal from service, reduction to lower post, warning and with holding of annual increment.
To avoid accident and security of the passengers, Pakistan Railways had taken several steps, they added.
They said that recently, NESCOM proposed safety model to the Ministry of Railways that would help control the train collisions and accidents on level crossings.
Connected with a radio link, the system would be installed in the locomotive and at level crossings simultaneously, which will have warning lights and sirens to alert the people.
Likewise, they said the locomotive speed system, vision systems, electro-mechanical system, train approaching warning system and train collision avoiding system would be devised to curb accidents in future.