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Cable theft linked to increase in train collisions

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Increased theft of cables and infrastructure at railway stations across the country has resulted in a rapid increase in train collisions and derailments during the last financial year.

This was revealed during the release of the Railway State of Safety report for 2016/17.

Deputy Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga presented the report on Monday in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg.

Since the 1st of April last year to March this year there has been more than 6300 security related incidents at railway stations across the country.

There has been more than 4300 of theft of assets including copper cables worth millions of rands, whilst there has been more than 1 000 reported incidents of malicious damage to property and vandalism.

Chikunga says safety related incidents continue to have a disruptive effect on safe and reliable rail transport.

She says that such criminal activities can’t be tolerated and has urged railway police to act decisively and prevent criminals from conducting their business on the country’s railways.

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