Another Gauteng railway accident exposes lack of safety measures

18 January 2018

The Rail Safety Regulator must immediately investigate last night’s train accident between Pretoria and Germiston.

We have been informed that the train derailed because the clamps that keep the track attached to the sleepers were stolen.

While no passengers were injured in this accident, it is unacceptable that passengers' lives are put at risk due to non-existent safety and security measures.

We call on the Passenger Railway Agency (Prasa) to conduct regular inspections to prevent this from recurring in the future.

The DA is concerned about the increase in train accidents in the province.

Last week, 200 train passengers were injured in a train crash at Geldenhuis station.

The collision was caused by one of the trains that was authorised to be stationary while waiting for the manual signal for it to depart causing another train to rear-end it.

Earlier this month at least 19 people were killed when a truck drove into a Shosholoza Meyl passenger train on its way from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg.

This compromises the safety of one of the most frequently used mode of transport in this province.

We urge the MEC for Transport, Ismail Vadi to engage with the Railway Safety Regulator to ensure that all rail safety and security regulations are adhered to.

Issued by Fred Nel, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC For Roads and Transport, 18 January 2018