The Star reports that the Railway Safety Regulator’s preliminary report into last week’s Elandsfontein train collision was released on Tuesday.  It found that an “abnormal working process littered with numerous poor safety checks” was among the factors that caused the accident.  

This comes after Metrorail last week blamed cable theft for the train crash that resulted in the death of one man and left 102 passengers injured.  “The train control officer authorised two trains into same section of track at the same time,” said regulator spokesperson Madelein Williams.  She said the report indicated that the train control personnel on duty failed to observe and implement the requirements of abnormal working, as stipulated in train working rules and went on to state:  “Prasa Elandsfontein train control personnel embarked on an abnormal working process littered with numerous poor safety defences or uncontrolled risks, routine violations and lacking several key safety procedures.”

• Read this report by Tankiso Makhetha in full at The Star
• Read too, Regulator finds two trains authorised on single track at same time, at TimesLive

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