Calls To Return Day Passenger Trains Grow Loud
Koketso Kgoboge | Monday February 17, 2020 14:55
Members of the public made the call during a Kgotla meeting here last week to the Commission of Inquiry that is investigating what might have caused the December accident.
The board chairperson of the commission, Olefile Moakofi told the gathering that the purpose of addressing the Kgotla meeting was to solicit suggestions and ideas that would help prevent similar incidents in future.
Members of the public took the opportunity to decry poor safety procedures at BR, which they said were responsible for the train accidents.
An elderly man, Otsile Dipogiso, implored BR to reinstate day passenger trains like it was in the past and redeploy groups that manually monitor rail tracks.
“Because safety appears to be a concern, BR should maybe bring back day trains instead of using night trains. Accidents could be avoided more in broad daylight,” Dipogiso, a self-proclaimed former worker of Rhodesia Railways said.
Dipogiso added it was apparent that rail lines were not inspected adequately yet trains travel frequently.
He said it was a challenge and surprising that BR employees who are inspecting rail tracks use cars along fire lines instead of walking along the rail tracks to check for defects.
He stated that during the times of Rhodesia Railways, inspection and safety of rail lines were top priority.
Dipogiso condemned insinuations that the rains were to blame as cause of accidents.
In the past, Dipogiso said, it used to rain heavily but there were fewer incidents of train derailments than it is currently where rains are no longer as plenty.
“We had patrol men who walked along the rails almost on a daily basis yet we had fewer trains travelling than now. Our rail lines are too busy. BR must employ more gangs to manually monitor the rails otherwise the safety of passengers and BR employees will remain compromised,” he said.
Another member of the public who attended the meeting, Sane Mereyotlhe, warned BR that the nation was losing confidence in utilising its services.
He criticised BR for having little commitment to addressing safety issues. Mereyotlhe, who is also a headman at Madiba ward, condemned BR for discarding traditional and more reliable ways of taking care of the train and monitoring rail lines.
“We grew up with the knowledge that trains were safer than buses, but it appears that is no longer the case. We travel by train in fear because there is no care and safety.
When Botswana took over the railway services from Rhodesia, everything changed for the worst,” he bemoaned.
He noted that although technology is now used to improve the safety of trains, it appears that it is not used with due care, which increases the risk of accidents.
Keatlaretse Koosimile echoed Mereyotlhe’s sentiments.
Koosimile said trains now have more negatives than positives adding that since the accident occurred, she cannot use the train when it is raining.
“I am a train customer, but when it rains these days, I can’t even think about the train. Even the trainmen fear for their lives. BR needs to invest more in manpower to make the trains safe like in the past when trains were known as safe modes of transport,” she said.
During the meeting, members of the community also complained that the passenger train coaches were wearing down quickly.
The public also bemoaned that nothing inside the train was functioning well like when the train was bought a few years back.
They also complained that the railway lines were old. According to some speakers, BR modified the rail lines but overlooked the ground that the tracks were running on.
To remedy the situation, members of the public pleaded with BR to build new rail lines and bridges and carry out a significant inspection on the rail lines and the ground.