Metrorail on Tuesday insisted that rail is “still the safest mode of public transport” - a day after the fatal head-on collision of two trains between Kaalfontein and Tembisa.
Metrorail spokesperson Lillian Mofokeng on Tuesday morning confirmed that 243 people where injured and a “man in his early 20s that was actually coming from school” was killed.
Commuters faced delays on Tuesday morning‚ as reported by @TrafficSA’s Rob Byrne on Twitter: “Gauteng - #MetroRail 20 minute delays on Pretoria / Johannesburg trains following yesterdays #TrainCrash between Tembisa and Kaalfontein”. Mofokeng told Radio 702: “The accident could have been worse. As much as we saying one is too many‚ it is still the safest mode of public transport for the numbers and capacities we are able to hold.”
She would not be drawn on whether the accident could be blamed on the ageing signalling system‚ which was highlighted after Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) reports into two crashes last year in Denver and Booysens.
In July last year‚ 250 people were hospitalised when a train collided into the back of a stationary train between the Booysens and Crown Mines stations; in April‚ a security guard was killed and 240 people injured when two trains collided at the Denver train station during the morning peak.
Mofokeng confirmed preliminary reports that Monday’s crash was due to “another human error‚ there’s a driver who has passed a signal at danger‚ and that is just unfortunate‚ because passing a signal at danger‚ it is just on your road when you skip the red robot.”
The SA Transport & Allied Workers' Union (Satawu) on Monday condemned Prasa over its alleged reluctance to improve safety in trains.
The transport union said it had been trying to secure a meeting with Prasa to discuss safety in trains.
"It is truly tragic that this accident comes after Satawu's national passenger rail coordinator‚ Tinzi Lubabalo‚ and Fulltime Shop Steward‚ Jabulani Khumalo‚ have for some time been attempting to secure a meeting with the general manager and executive responsible for health and safety at Prasa with no success."
The union said Prasa was supposed to convene a health and safety meeting once a quarter at a national level and monthly meetings at a depot level.
"There hasn't been a meeting held this year‚" Khumalo said.
Satawu is now demanding a thorough investigation to uncover the cause of the collision.
The union said it was a "known fact" that Prasa's infrastructure was outdated and in need of an upgrade.
"We are aware that the modernisation project was put on hold due to various issues.
We urge Prasa to finalise these to ensure no more lives are lost unnecessarily."
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