TUESDAY, MAY 1, 1979
USING RAILWAY TRACKS AS FOOTPATHS IS SHORT CUT TO DEATH
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A SHORT CUT TO DEATH THAT IS WHAT PEOPLE ARE RISKING WHEN THEY TRESPASS TO WALK ALONG RAILWAY TRACKS, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY WARNED TODAY (TUESDAY).
+1 CANNOT EMPHASISE TOO STRONGLY THE DANGERS THESE PEOPLE FACE, HE SAID. THE FIGURES FOR ACCIDENTS INVOLVING PEDESTRIAN TRESPASSERS SO FAR THIS YEAR ARE MOST DISTRESSING THERE HAVE ALREADY BEEN MORE THAN 10 IN MONG KOK AND SHA TIN ALONE.+
+WHAT PEOPLE DO NOT REALISE IS THAT THE INJURIES SUSTAINED BY VICTIMS OF THESE ACCIDENTS ARE OFTEN SERIOUS AND SOMETIMES FATAL,+ HE SAID.
THE CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH ACCIDENTS OCCUR ARE:
* WHEN PASSENGERS IGNORE STATION WARNINGS AND
ALIGHT FROM ONE TRAIN INTO THE PATH OF ANOTHER, AND
* WHEN PEDESTRIANS TRESPASS ON RAILWAY PROPERTY
BY WALKING ALONG OR ACROSS THE TRACKS,
DESCRIBING THIS AS A TRAGIC AND USELESS WASTE OF LIFE, THE SPOKESMAN URGED PEOPLE NOT TO USE THE TRACKS AS A FOOTPATH" BUT TO USE AUTHORISED CROSSINGS.
+ IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP A TRAIN OF SEVERAL HUNDRED TONS ON A SIX-PENCE, HE ADDED, AND THE STRAIN UNDER WHICH OUR DRIVERS HAVE TO OPERATE IS TREMENDOUS.+
HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT THE MANAGEMENT WAS DEEPLY CONCERNED WITH THE SAFETY OF THE PUBLIC, PARTICULARLY IN VIEW OF THE FACT THAT DOUBLE TRACKING BETWEEN HUNG HOM AND SHA TIN HAS NOW BECOME OPERATIONAL.
+THIS MEANS, HE SAID, THAT PEOPLE WHO USE RAILWAY TRACKS AS FOOTPATHS WILL RUN A DOUBLE RISK AS TRAINS WILL BE PASSING EACH OTHER AT THE SAME TIME WE SHALL ALSO SHORTLY BE RUNNING MORE TRAINS BETWEEN THESE STATIONS.+
MORE THAN 60 TRAINS PER DAY RUN OVER THIS SECTION AND THE DANGERS TO THOSE WHO ARE CARELESS ARE CONSIDERABLE.
THE RAILWAY HAS RECENTLY CARRIED OUT A PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN TO WARN THE PUBLIC, AND IT IS HOPED THAT THIS WILL GO SOME WAY TO MAKING THEM MORE AWARE OF THE DANGERS.
+ IN THE NEAR FUTURE WE ALSO PLAN TO ERECT ADDITIONAL WARNING SIGNS, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
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