Metrorail spokesperson Lillian Mofokeng says the train collision in the Elloff Extension in Selby, Johannesburg, may be the result of human error.
Mofokeng says one train was travelling from Faraday station towards New Canada while the other was from Naledi, Soweto.
Hundreds of commuters were injured, seven of them seriously. No fatalities were reported.
She says they will investigate human error to try and establish whether one of their employees was responsible for the crash.
She says: “We were using a manual authorisation system which means we were actually controlling the trains manually not through the digital system that we have from a signalling point of view. So that could actually be one of the reasons that led to this collision happening.”
Meanwhile, Metrorail commuters are concerned about their safety following the collision.
Thembisa Lukwe rushed to help the injured after the collision. She says: “I was coming outside and I saw two trains crashing head on. I heard a loud bang that is when we came out and tried to assist. The commuters got out and we gave them sugar water as it helps with the shock.”
