The country's railway safety regulator has called for the establishment of a compensation fund for commuters who are hurt in train accidents. The proposed railway accident fund - similar to the Road Accident Fund - aims to offer insurance cover to train passengers against injuries or death.Khayalethu Madlwabinga, senior manager of legal corporate support at the Railway Safety Regulator, announced the proposal at a summit hosted by the Gauteng legislature's portfolio committee on roads and transport last week."In terms of road accidents, victims know where to go and they know that medical expenses will be taken care of in the event of an accident."But that is not happening with victims of rail accidents."That is why we are calling for the formation of the railway accident fund for the victims of train accidents," said Madlwabinga.The proposal has yet to be ratified by the transport department.Former Passenger Rail Agency of SA group CEO Lucky Montana announced last year that Prasa had set up a R25-million purse to compensate commuters who suffered injuries during accidents.He said two claims offices had been set up in Pretoria and Johannesburg to receive claims, which could range from a minimum of R7,500 to a maximum of R15,000.But the accident fund proposed by the regulator aims to be a comprehensive solution, covering all categories of injuries with hospital costs.The call for comprehensive insurance cover for victims of railway accidents comes after one person was killed and 243 others seriously injured when two trains collided head-on at the Kaalfontein station near Tembisa in eastern Gauteng a week ago...