Let’s protect our rail infrastructure

IN developed countries, commuters prefer using rail transport.

Experts recommend it for its efficiency and safety.

So reliable is this mode of transport that some of the top executives use it to commute to and from work.

During peak hours, it’s reliable since it is fast and efficient and helps in beating the road traffic congestion.

Those who operate these locomotives are usually punctual and, in most cases, they stick to the recommended times. This has seen most of the commuters in developed countries preferring to use rail transport.

Some of its services comprise intercity rail, mono rail, high speed rail, mountain rail, heavy rail among others.

Across the Limpopo, rail transport is also popular with workers, who hardly miss production time stuck in traffic jams. Industrial companies overseas and closer home in South Africa, also use rail transport in transporting cargo and bulk raw materials.

Back home, the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) operates the national railways systems.

However, many people and service providers are now shunning the NRZ largely due to theft and vandalism of its infrastructure.

The parastatal’s operations are being crippled as a result of vandalism, which is now on the increase.

In Tuesday’s issue, we carried an article where the NRZ praised the judiciary for ensuring the protection of its key infrastructure by imposing stiff penalties against those convicted of vandalism.

The same report stated that the NRZ’s Loss Control Unit recorded 27 cases of vandalism and theft of its assets, worth US$16 925, in the past two months.

Further reports say 53 people have been arrested with US$15000 worth of NRZ property being recovered.

The daring thieves, possibly working in cahoots with serving and former NRZ employees, are reportedly stealing anything they can lay their hands on.

These include copper cables, wagon components, ballast (quarry used to stabilise rail), steel sleepers and transformer components. This has crippled the operations of the NRZ, which remains key in the ongoing national economic revival drive being championed by the Government.

It’s high time theft and vandalism of NRZ property is brought to an end.

The parastatal also needs to beef up its security, in terms of both personnel and systems, and ensure that it can protect its key infrastructure.

Failure to plug these holes has made rail transport dangerous as both passenger and goods trains risk derailing.

With the judiciary doing its best to bring to book the thugs, who are vandalising NRZ property, the public needs to be educated on the consequences of their bad behaviour. As a nation, we can’t continue losing public infrastructure.

Like any other national problem, a collective effort is needed to arrest people destroying their own infrastructure.

As it stands, it’s not too late to revive the once reliable NRZ’s rail service.

Our kids should also enjoy the trips we used to undertake, when rail was still the most preferred mode of transport.

With the influx of vehicles on the roads, rail transport can help ease the congestion and also help to ensure that there is full utilisation of the production hours by workers.