Five recent South African train crashes

The collision between two trains on the Tembisa railway line on Monday afternoon comes after David Makhura, the Gauteng premier, in July last year raised concern over the frequency of train accidents and urged Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) to take necessary precautions to ensure passengers reached their destinations safely.

• Two trains heading to Soweto collide:

Makhura’s raised the alarm after a train rammed into the back of a stationary train between the Booysens and Crown Mines stations in July last year, injuring 250 people.

• Two trains collide at the Denver train station:

In April 2015, two trains collided at the Denver train station, injuring 240 people and killing a Metrorail security guard.

• Two trains collided at Berea Road station in Durban:

Eleven people injured after two trains collided at the Berea Road station in Durban in December 2013.

• Taxi and train collide in Durban:

A taxi and train collided in the north of Durban in August last year, injuring 15 people.

KwaZulu-Natal Road Traffic Inspectorate spokesperson Zinhle Mngomezulu was quoted at the time as saying: “A minibus which was fully laden was knocked by a train. The cause is that the taxi driver lost control, hit the guard rail and landed on the railway line.”

• Passenger train derails in Kimberley:

A passenger train derailed in Kimberley, in the Northern Cape, injuring 63 people in August last year. At the time, it was reported that the accident was caused by the failure of Transnet to inform the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) about a new train speed restriction.

– Caxton News Service