17 Mar 2016

Botswana Railways is working round the clock to restore the movement of trains between Gaborone and Lobatse following an incident in which a train pulling 14 wagons derailed on Tuesday.

The Minister of Transport and Communications, Mr Tshenolo Mabeo said this after visiting the scene on Thursday.

The train, which was en route to Lobatse, derailed following heavy rains which exposed the rail line by damaging its foundations and leaving it unsupported.

Minister Mabeo said they were hopeful that the rail line would be restored by Sunday despite the heavily rains in the area.

He said the accident was not the first to be encountered, but added that Botswana Railways continues to learn from such misfortunes.

He said all the 14 wagons would need to be refurbished, adding that  the driver of the train and his assistant have been declared fit.

Mr Mabeo noted that the accident has impacted on the movement of trains as well as that of Botswana Railways business.

He said repairing the rail would ensure that businesses which rely on Botswana Railways for business were not severely affected.

He noted that even Botswana Railways was affected as it makes money through transporting goods, adding that not all of the wagons belonged to Botswana Railways.

Mr Mabeo emphasised that Botswana Railways periodically inspects its rail line to assure the safety of its trains and passengers.

Furthermore, he said there were areas along the rail line which were known to be problematic, but said the affected areas were not part of those.

In addition, the minister said they were hopeful that the accident would not impact on the reintroduction of the passenger train.

Nonetheless, Mr Mabeo said they would assess to ascertain the safety of the rail line before restoring train movements. Ends