Metrorail Introduces New Commuter Insurance

Commuter Insurance introduced by Metrorail Metrorail will cover hospital costs of the train accident victims.

South Africans travelling by train will be pleased to learn that Metrorail, the passenger train division of Prasa (Passenger Rail Agency), will be providing extra cover, thanks to new commuter insurance that will be introduced by the agency in November this year.

The Chief Executive Officer of Prasa, Lucky Montana, said that an extra R20 million will be given to victims of two train accidents that occurred in Soweto this year - one in April and the other last month.

He also said that Metrorail would cover the hospital costs of the train accident victims.

"We are introducing a commuter insurance cover, based on a no fault system to all valid train ticket holders or killed in train accidents to ensure speedy assistance to passengers without delay," said Montana.

Safety Measures Reviewed

In light of the two serious accidents this year, Prasa held a series of meetings to discuss the problem. Steps were taken to fire the driver of one of the trains involved in the accident, while another 19 drivers face disciplinary hearings over a range of offences.

All safety measures on South Africa's rails have been reviewed, and a number of actions have been adopted. These include the introduction of a compulsory stop at T-signals.

"All drivers who have violated safety rules such as, among others, speeding in the past three to six months will be withdrawn from service and undergo refresher training courses," said the CEO of Metrorail, Mosenngwa Mofi. "Some selected retired train drivers will be recruited on a short term basis to mentor newer train drivers."

"Human error" has been blamed as the cause of the accident that took place in a collision between a Metrorail train and a Soweto Business Express train last month.