Train collision

[M. Hardy-Randall]

I saw the following report on SKY News.

http://news.sky.com/story/1045482/south ... njures-300

[Gabor Kovacs]

Pretoria train collision: 6 seriously hurt
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/ ... t-20130131

Pretoria train driver trapped after crash
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/ ... h-20130131

Cable theft caused train collision
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/ ... n-20130131

Prasa: Trains were operating manually
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/ ... y-20130131

Picture gallery from this mornings train rear-end collision between Cor Delfos and Kalafong Railway stations, just west of Pretoria.
http://www.news24.com/RelatedGalleryIte ... m=0&iframe

[Gabor Kovacs]

Minister inspects train crash site
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/ ... te-2013013

Metrorail probes double train crash
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/ ... h-20130201

Union: Train driver was on final warning
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/ ... g-20130202

Metrorail defends driver's competence
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/ ... e-20130202

[Kevin Wilson-Smith]

This is only going to increase.

Cable theft is rife, and I think I have already mentioned elsewhere that on the West rand Metrorail have guards on the line every few hundred metres to prevent signal and overhead cable theft.

I am sure this is effective as in our street we have now had our (the streets) cables for power stolen now 4 times since December!

They use trucks to this and the modus operandi for the rail cables is probably the same.

The truck are now fitted with an electric winch behind the cab on the truck bed. The winch uses a cable with a chain.

The chain is thrown around the cable and secured at the back of the truck, which then drives away and rips the cable down/off/out. The cable is then unlocked and the broken length winched in as the truck drives off.

In under 4 minutes from when the power was cut we have reacted to out last theft to see nothing !