Amitabh Bachchan urges commuters to prioritise rail safety

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who is well known for spreading messages on social issues, now, has a brand new one on rail safety.

In a video posted by the Central railways on YouTube, a common man can be seen attempting to cross the railway track when a train is entering a station. It is at this point that the 'Sholay' star appears on the screen to appeal to commuters not to change platforms by crossing railway tracks, and instead, use the foot over bridges to do so.

"Crossing the rail track, or travelling on the roof of a train is life-threatening. While travelling, always follow rules laid down by the railway authorities," he said.

In his final message, he added that before breaking rules, "Always remember that there is someone waiting for you back home".

As a part of 'Ek Safar Rail Ke Saath' campaign, two other short films on Rail Memoirs of Amitabh Bachchan and Heritage Walk of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) world heritage site, were also launched.

In the memoir video, Big B shared his treasured memory as a child watching trains. As the video ended, the actor yet again had a social message for his fans, wherein he mentioned that it is everyone's responsibility to keep railway stations clean and reiterated his message on safety from the first video. In the UNESCO video, he shared that CST should be something people should be proud of.

Amitabh Bachchan's message on rail safety was played at the Heritage Hall, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Mumbai on Wednesday.

D.K. Sharma, General Manager, Central Railway while addressing the media said the short films will be showcased at all major stations and booking counters, and aired on social media platforms.

"Divisional Railway Managers have been advised to conduct awareness drive about dangers of trespassing. The videos will be forwarded to Railway Board for consideration so that it could act as a deterrent," he added.

The videos were posted in the wake of the recent train tragedy, wherein 60 people were killed and over 57 injured in Choura Bazar near Jhoda Phatak area after a train ran over the crowd standing along train tracks to watch an effigy of Ravana being burnt as part of Vijayadashami celebrations.