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Mumbai: CST-bound train hits scooter near Titwala, no injuries

The accident took place near gate number 57, between Titwala and Khadavali stations at around 2.30 PM.

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An accident and a major railway disruption was averted after a train travelling from Kasara to CST hit a scooter at the level crossing, near gate number 57, between Titwala and Khadavali stations at around 2.30 PM on Thursday. According to Central Railway officials, it is not clear how the scooter found its way onto the track as the LC gate barrier was down, as is the case when a train is passing. The report prepared by the guard of N18 train, the one that hit the scooter, does not make mention of the motorist getting injured, said CR officials.

"The incident could have derailed the train, injured people inside and may have disrupted the train schedule. Thankfully, it did not throw the cycle out of gear. Despite repeated reminders and RPF action, some people don't desist and try to test their luck against a train. Hundreds of people inside the train would have had to suffer without any fault of theirs," said a CR official.

The Indian Railways has for long suffered due to the near-miss incidents brought about by vehicle drivers at various level crossings across the country. According to data available with the railways, there are about 28,607 level crossings, of which 19,267 level crossings are manned and 9,340 are unmanned. Of the unmanned level crossings, 6,388 are on the broad gauge network and have to be eliminated on a priority basis. The other 2,952 LCs are on the sparsely-used metre and narrow gauge stretches of the railways.

How does the railway finance the construction of road overbridges and subways to eliminate level crossings?

The railways gets funds to eliminate level crossings come from Central Road Fund (CRF), which itself is boosted by a percentage of cess collected on petrol and diesel by the finance ministry nationwide. The average annual allocation to the railways from the central road fund is about Rs 1,100 crore against throw forward (cost of completing a project in the future) of Rs 31,700 crore. This itself shows how severely cash-crunched the railways' efforts to eliminate LCs is, said officials.

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