News / Regional
Passenger train derails
13 Dec 2012 at 04:34hrs | Views
SCORES of passengers were left stranded on Tuesday night when a Bulawayo bound National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) passenger train from Victoria Falls derailed.
The passenger train had five economy coaches, two second class coaches and one first class coach with 137 passengers on board.
It derailed between Lobangwe and Zanganja sidings probably due to wet conditions.
Passengers who spoke to Chronicle yesterday said the train, which left Victoria Falls at about 7pm, derailed at about 8.30 pm leaving them stranded until yesterday at about 4pm when NRZ organised another train to take them to Bulawayo.
"We left Victoria Falls at about 7pm on Tuesday and we expected to be in Bulawayo this morning. After travelling for only one hour the train derailed and the railway line was broken, which made it impossible for us to move," said a passenger who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"We spent Tuesday night and the better part of today in the bush and we had to wait for another train to take us to Bulawayo. I hope the same thing will not happen again on the way."
NRZ public relations manager Mr Fanuel Masikati confirmed the incident yesterday, saying no injuries or deaths were recorded.
"Our passenger train from Victoria Falls derailed between Lobangwe and Zanganja sidings on Tuesday night. The train, which had eight coaches, was being pulled by one locomotive and two goods wagons and it was carrying about 137 passengers.
"This also affected our Victoria Falls bound train from Bulawayo which could not proceed due to the accident. We had to ferry passengers who were travelling to Victoria Falls by bus and we are working out logistics for our passengers from the resort town to get food while we organise another train to take them to Bulawayo," said Mr Masikati.
He said the derailment could have been caused by the wet weather being experienced in the country.
"We suspect that the derailment was due to what we call a wash away, which is common during the rainy season and affects the movement of our trains. We thank God that no injuries or deaths were recorded and we sincerely apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused.
"We have not experienced derailments for a long time now but I would like to assure passengers that our drivers who are cautious will always makesure that passengers are safe all the time," said Mr Masikati.
The passenger train had five economy coaches, two second class coaches and one first class coach with 137 passengers on board.
It derailed between Lobangwe and Zanganja sidings probably due to wet conditions.
Passengers who spoke to Chronicle yesterday said the train, which left Victoria Falls at about 7pm, derailed at about 8.30 pm leaving them stranded until yesterday at about 4pm when NRZ organised another train to take them to Bulawayo.
"We left Victoria Falls at about 7pm on Tuesday and we expected to be in Bulawayo this morning. After travelling for only one hour the train derailed and the railway line was broken, which made it impossible for us to move," said a passenger who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"We spent Tuesday night and the better part of today in the bush and we had to wait for another train to take us to Bulawayo. I hope the same thing will not happen again on the way."
"Our passenger train from Victoria Falls derailed between Lobangwe and Zanganja sidings on Tuesday night. The train, which had eight coaches, was being pulled by one locomotive and two goods wagons and it was carrying about 137 passengers.
"This also affected our Victoria Falls bound train from Bulawayo which could not proceed due to the accident. We had to ferry passengers who were travelling to Victoria Falls by bus and we are working out logistics for our passengers from the resort town to get food while we organise another train to take them to Bulawayo," said Mr Masikati.
He said the derailment could have been caused by the wet weather being experienced in the country.
"We suspect that the derailment was due to what we call a wash away, which is common during the rainy season and affects the movement of our trains. We thank God that no injuries or deaths were recorded and we sincerely apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused.
"We have not experienced derailments for a long time now but I would like to assure passengers that our drivers who are cautious will always makesure that passengers are safe all the time," said Mr Masikati.
Source - TC
