Amitabh Bachchan becomes the face of Indian Railways in this big initiative

Indian Railways has been working hard to improve safety of passengers on tracks. This has ensured that the number o accidents has reduced manifold in the recent months. Now, to highlight the work that it has done, Indian Railways has roped in Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan to boost its profile further. Bachchan will now work with Central Railways. He has been called to appeal to passengers, in his special, inimitable way way,  to follow Railways safety rules, according to a report.

Bachchan has shot sequences for a short film on passenger safety, asking them not to cross tracks and use foot overbridges. The film plays on emotions and tells passengers that they should not cross tracks as someone was waiting for them at home. A total of 23,013 passengers were killed in last four years while trespassing on Railways tracks, alighting from running trains or falling off trains, an RTI reply has informed. It also revealed that 15 people were killed on railway tracks across the country every day. According to a Times of India report quoting the RTI reply, the highest number of casualties (3,874 deaths) were reported from South Central Railway zone.

It also revealed that in this four year period 12,598 passengers were injured after falling off trains. Central Railway (4,532) followed by Western Railway (3,449) reported the most number of injuries. Safety at unmanned level crossings is also a cause for concern for Indian Railways.  These crossings witness maximum accidents. Indian Railways was reportedly in talks with Isro to develop a safety system that would be deployed at unmmanned level crossings. According to report, 5,792 unmanned railway crossings account for about 40% of accidents.  According to the report, Indian Railways has completed the trial of a satellite-based warning system about approaching trains at unmanned level crossings.