Engineering News reports that despite improvements in some areas of national railway safety, statistics in the latest 'State of Railway Safety Report 2019/20', published on 27 November by the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR), reveal “a grim picture of safety within the railway industry”.  

A total of 3,392 operational occurrences were recorded during the 2019/20 reporting year, representing a 15% decrease compared with the previous reporting year.  The occurrences included derailments, collisions, level-crossing accidents and occurrences where people were stuck by moving trains.  The RSR also reported that the 2019/20 period experienced egregious acts of criminal activity targeted at major operators, with an increase in the prevalence of theft and vandalism of rail infrastructure.  An increase of 8% in the total number of security-related incidents was reported in comparison with the previous reporting period.  This was attributed to the open nature of the network and the lack of security which exposed commuters, trains and railway infrastructure to criminal activity.  RSR acting CEO Tshepo Kgare says the “grim numbers in the report confirm that the state of safety of South African railways remains dire.  More must be done so that we turn the tide and ensure that the massive investments in rail infrastructure result in tangible improvements in safety.”

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News

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