Martin Rushmere
SIX RAILWAY workers have been temporarily suspended during investigations into a head-on train crash this month that killed 16 people.
A National Railways of Zimbabwe spokesman, Gamaliel Rungani, says crew members of the two trains and an operator at a central signalling station have been suspended. The NRZ says the driver of the goods train was not fit to be in charge of the train.
The crash has come as no surprise to long-serving staff of the organisation. They say there was a similar accident last year on the same line, between Victoria Falls and Bulawayo, which showed up glaring faults in technical supervision.
According to the official report on the accident: There is perpetual, gross and pervasive lack of discipline among Centralised Train Control operators and train crews. The breaking of rules and regulations governing the running of trains has now become the norm.
A retired signals operator said passenger trains were a death trap because there was no adherence to standards and safety procedures.
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