Sealdah division puts up barriers to avoid accidents, urges ‘safety first’ approach
The Statesman | 6 November 2025
Aiming to curb the menace of fatal run over incidents, the Sealdah Division of the Eastern Railway has undertaken installation of fencing or physical barriers across vulnerable points in its division.
Recognising that unauthorised track crossing for shortcuts is the leading cause of these preventable tragedies, Sealdah Division directly targets the unsafe practice of Railway track trespassing, which risks not only the lives of passengers but also the safety of train operations. The single act of taking a shortcut can endanger not just your own life, but the lives of many co-passengers as well, according to the divisional railway office.
Strategic fencing work has commenced on installing robust physical barriers and fencing along platform edges and critical areas at select stations to physically prevent entry onto the tracks. The initial phase of this vital work has begun at Jadavpur station, with plans in place to rapidly extend this safety measure to other identified stations throughout the division. To ensure that all passenger movements are channelled strictly through designated safe crossings, such as foot over-bridges (FOBs), subways and designated pathways, thereby drastically reducing the incidence of people being run over by moving trains.
According to the divisional railway manager of Sealdah, Rajeev Saxena, safety is not just a priority, it is the foremost commitment. “The installation of these physical barriers is necessary, to stop avoidable tragedies caused by momentary lapses in judgment,” said the DRM. “We urge every passenger not to trade their precious life for a few saved minutes. Use the safe infrastructure provided. We are building safer stations, but you must choose the safe path,” he added.