Train crashes head on South Africa

[trainmania100]

At least two people have been killed in South Africa after two trains collided head on. Dozens more are believed to be injured in the crash in the South African capital Pretoria, an emergency services official said. ‘We have got two confirmed fatalities, and we have got different emergency services on site,’ Charles Mabaso told Reuters.
Hundreds were believed to be on board
Emergency services are working to free people trapped in carriages. A Pretoria police officer told Times Live: ‘At the moment it appears that two people are dead, with a heck of a lot more badly injured. ‘ The unnamed officer added: ‘Emergency services are trying to reach the injured who are trapped inside the carriages.’ This is a breaking news story we will bring you more when we have it.


Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/08/two-...-crash-head-south-africa-8320946/?ito=cbshare

Terrible accident

https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/08/two-dead-dozens-injured-trains-crash-head-south-africa-8320946/

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

It's not many months since the SA regulator threatened to shut the passenger network over safety fears.
They only relented when the management said they had new procedures in place.
https://www.railwaygazette.com/news...fety-rules.html?sword_list[]=prasa&no_cache=1

Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa must comply with the safety requirements set by the Railway Safety Regulator under a ruling made by the North Gauteng High Court on October 11. An initial court ruling on October 5 had lifted the suspension of PRASA’s operating licence imposed on October 4 after 320 people were injured in a collision between two Metrorail-branded trains at Van Riebeeck Park station near Kempton Park northeast of Johannesburg on the previous day.

The second hearing confirmed the suspension of RSR’s notice prohibiting PRASA from operating trains. The operator welcomed the move and Chair Khanyisile Kweyama said that it ‘cannot be interpreted by management as absolving PRASA from its duty to ensure the safety of commuters and compliance with Safety Permit conditions’. Explaining that PRASA’s application to be allowed to continue running trains ‘was solely to avoid what could have been a national crisis if the notice was carried out’, she said that PRASA would not ‘put this country on a knife edge ever again as a result of us defaulting on our commitment and responsibility to ensure the safety of the commuters’. Group CEO Sibusiso Sithole said that he would be putting stringent monitoring measures in place ‘that will guarantee the safety of our operations and that of the commuters we serve’.

Under the terms of the court order PRASA is required to provide periodic feedback to RSR and to Judge Cassim Sardiwalla, who had described the case as a matter of national importance. The court is due to assess PRASA’s overall compliance with the order on June 19 next year

 

[TRAX]

On the same network:

Seems like a safe operation...

 

[Bletchleyite]

On the same network:

Seems like a safe operation...

I've seen OHLE flashovers in the UK. One would think the breakers would have tripped sooner, though!

Is not the greater safety issue a high chance of being knifed/shot on those services?

 

[Nighthawke]

Serious protection/tripping issues there!

 

[Gostav]

I've seen OHLE flashovers in the UK. One would think the breakers would have tripped sooner, though!

Is not the greater safety issue a high chance of being knifed/shot on those services?

I think this is due to DC system usually link two or even more substations, maybe a substation is powered off from the line and another is not.

 

[randyrippley]

According to a newspaper report about 12 months ago, there are/were a lot of flashovers like this in South Africa, often resulting in the destruction of the train. It was claimed to be sabotage by political groups trying to discredit the government. Can't remember exactly where I read it