THANE: Ignoring the red signal, two men on a scooter ducked under the barrier of the Diva railway level crossing and tried to beat an oncoming express train, but were crushed to death on Monday. The impact of the collision was such that the front wheel of the scooter was found nearly a kilometre away from the spot.The deceased were identified as Ramcharan Choudhary (30) and Angrez Choudhary (25), who worked as masons and undertook small-time renovation contracts in and around Diva. Natives of Basti district in Uttar Pradesh, they were living in a rented room in Diva. On Monday, they were headed to a shop in Diva (E) to purchase some raw material. As they were in a hurry, they borrowed a friend's Scooty."As the level crossing gate was shut for a long time, they decided to cross the tracks though the gate was closed and trains, both suburban and outstation, were constantly passing on the six railway lines," said an official from the Thane railway police, requesting anonymity.Ignoring warnings from passersby and motorists, Ramcharan and Angrez ducked under the barrier and started crossing the tracks when they realized that they were in the path of Nagpur-Mumbai Sevagram Express, which was approaching them fast. Several bystanders and even the gateman raised an alarm, but by the time they could react, the express train hit Ramcharan and Angrez. Station officials rushed them to a nearby hospital, where they were declared dead.The Thane railway police have registered a case of accidental death.Following the incident, locals reiterated the demand for closure of the Diva level crossing and the construction of a road over-bridge at the spot. A 2017 review of track-crossing deaths recorded 149 such incidents at Diva, and most of them were at the level crossing, said Central Railway officials.The Diva level crossing, which is opened 63 times a day, is a major hurdle on the CR's network, eating up nearly three hours of its time every day and delaying 300 services. In 2013, the CR proposed a road overbridge near Diva station to provide local residents a safer passage and prevent train delays that inconvenience thousands of commuters every day. The design is yet to be finalised because of a disagreement between CR and Thane Municipal Corporation In 2014, then then railway minister Suresh Prabhu had announced that all level crossings in Mumbai would be shut to ensure timely suburban train services.

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