Sadc commemorates Railway Safety Week

RAILWAY companies in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region this week commemorated the inaugural Southern African Railway Association (SARA) Railway Safety Week.

The Railway Safety Week was held from 12 October to 16 October 2020 in all the SARA member states.

National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) Public Relations Manager Mr Nyasha Maravanyika said this followed a resolution by the SARA Board last year to set aside a week in October every year to increase public awareness campaigns on railway safety to curb accidents and fatalities on the track.

He said the Railway Safety Week campaign is also meant to ensure that the region has a joint regional advocacy for railways safety practices which conform to the SADC SARA Railway Safety Standards. This year’s commemorations will focus on Rail/Road Level Crossing awareness with the theme- RAIL SAFETY STARTS WITH ME: STOP, LOOK, LISTEN, SAVE LIVES.

Mr Maravanyika said rail/road level crossings in the SADC region have been scenes of many horrific accidents as vehicle drivers ignore traffic rules and try to cross these intersections in front of oncoming trains.

In Zimbabwe, the main Railway Safety Week activities were held in Harare at the Workington Industrial area’s busiest Rail/Road level crossingPaisley Rail/Road level crossing.

There was an expo from the 12 to 16 October where NRZ and other partners imparted information on railway and road safety awareness to members of the public.

SARA has its headquarters in Harare and was formed in April 1996 in line with the SADC Protocol on Transport, Communications and Meteorology (PTCM), Article 13.13 which stipulated the formation of Regional Associations for each transport mode.