CAIRO - A driver was killed and his assistant seriously injured when a train collided with their truck on a level crossing in the Upper Egyptian Governorate of Beni Sueif a week ago, a railway safety expert said yesterday. Such accidents happen frequently in Egypt. The incident has prompted expert Ahmed Warshan to call for abolishing level crossings, which he describes as an old solution for regulating road/rail traffic. The train driver was also seriously injured in the accident, which happened near the village of el-Fashn on the outskirts of Beni Sueif City. Warshan has called for every level crossing that meets a public road to be replaced by a bridge or underpass to prevent more accidents. "Level crossings are a 19th century solution. In post-revolution Egypt, it's high time we do something to separate rail and road traffic," he stressed. The Government must phase out all of the nation's level crossings and ban the building of new ones, although some officials argue that it is financially impractical to close all crossings. "Level crossings on high-speed or local lines are safe if used properly,” a Ministry of Transport official says, adding that the Ministry will start teaching the public to obey the safety rules for using railway crossings. But the opponents of the level crossings strongly believe that they are a significant danger for both road and rail users. Egypt's Railway Authority (ERA) argues that it would be impractical to replace all crossings. Closing one requires governmental approval. "Level crossings are safe if used correctly by drivers and it is simply impractical to suggest they should be replaced," an ERA official said, adding that it would cost the Government an estimated average of LE1 million to replace each crossing with an alternative. "Most people who misuse level crossings know that they're breaking the law, but that doesn't seem to stop them. Other motorists and rail users are caught up in delays and disruption caused by people deliberately ignoring warning lights, and jumping barriers at level crossings," the Authority official said. However, Warshan insisted that several level crossings in Beni Sueif should be closed down and replaced with bridges.
