Beware when using railway crossings during power cuts: Railways Dept.

The Railway Department cautioned motorists and pedestrians to be watchful when using the railway crossings during the power cuts where the  railway gates do not function, Railways Superintendent (Transportation) A. D. G. Seneviratne said.

He said the majority of the railway crossings are equipped with "Bell and Light", which are operated by electricity.

During power outages, those rail gates used to function on battery power. But the battery capacity often gets drained due to the long hours of power cuts, he said.

Therefore, the Bell and Light systems might not work properly, he said.

Therefore, people are being advised to be careful when using the railway crossings during power cuts, Seneviratne said. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)