People taking a shortcut across railway lines. Photo: Zhang Mo

By Zhang Hui

People are still taking a shortcut across railway lines after a woman was killed by a train near Ganluyuan Bridge, Chaoyang district Tuesday morning.

A witness surnamed Zhang said that he saw a woman covered in blood on the ground near the railway tracks, and the train that hit her was in railway sidings. Several police officers were investigating the incident, and Zhang was barred from crossing the tracks, which he crosses every morning.

The police said the woman was knocked down when she was crossing the tracks. They could not identify the woman as no ID card was found in her belongings. The railroad gate, which is there to stop people from crossing the tracks, has been broken for some time.

A passer-by surnamed Su who lives at Ganluyuan residential compound said the railway passes through Chaoyang district from north to south, and provides a shortcut for residents on both sides.

"I can save at least five minutes by crossing the railway tracks," the Beijing Times quoted Su as saying. He added that most people are clearly aware of the potential dangers.

Wang, a staff member from the Beijing Railway Bureau told the Global Times that the railway lines are supposed to be closed to all people except official railway staff.

"We put up fences on both sides of the railway, and even arranged patrol officers to check the railway gates regularly. But the gates kept being destroyed over and over again," Wang said.

As the neighborhood expands, more and more people breach the fences to find a shortcut. The increasing number of high-speed trains adds to the danger when people cross the tracks, according to Wang.

"We cannot do anything except constantly fix the railway gates," Wang added. He appealed to people to cherish their lives.

A similar tragedy happened just a day ago at Baliqiao, Tongzhou district, where a 30-yearold woman was killed instantly by an approaching train whilst crossing the railway tracks.