Prasa is still train smash
The United National Transport Union (Untu) is accusing the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) of being reckless for allowing Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) trains to stay on the tracks.
This is after the release of the latest railway safety statistics by Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula on Tuesday.
The figures revealed a decrease in railway fatalities, but an increase in commuter injuries due to “operational occurrences”. Operational occurrences include derailments, collisions, level crossing accidents and incidents in which people are hit by moving trains.
Mbalula said 3 990 operational occurrences were recorded for the 2018-2019 reporting year.
The report also revealed more than half of all level crossing occurrences (56%) occurred in KwaZulu-Natal, the North West and the Western Cape. In the 370 derailments reported, 29 people were injured and one was killed.
There were 375 reported fatalities as a result of occurrences, representing a 17% decrease compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, 2 660 injuries were reported – a 23% increase from the year before, Mbalula said.
Untu general secretary Steve Harris said the annual rail safety report should be called the annual derail report.
“The RSR is reckless to allow the trains of Prasa to continue playing Russian roulette with the lives of its employees and commuters,” he said.
Harris disputed the statistics, saying they were based on figures provided by the Rapid Rail Police Unit, a division of the South African Police Service (Saps).
“The RSR admits in its report, despite an overall 18% reduction in network traffic since 2012-13, operator occurrences per million train kilometres increased marginally at 14%, but security-related incidents per million train kilometres increased dramatically by 175%.
“Our members report that various Saps stations sent them from pillar to post when they tried to report incidents, due to the total incompetence of police officers.
“The statistics on page 45 of the RSR’s report reflect this horrific bad joke.
“According to the report, the theft of assets only increased by 21%, malicious damage or vandalism only increased 5%.
“There have been no trainjackings where commuters used weapons to force a driver to continue on an unauthorised route.
“Personal safety incidents on trains increased only 14% and personal safety related incidents on stations just 7%.
“If this was a true reflection of the reality of rail safety, the standing committee of the National Economic Development and Labour Council would never have granted Untu and its affiliated federation a section 77 strike certificate earlier this year.” – News24 Wire