Tshwane - The latest Metrorail train crash, which claimed the lives of at least four commuters and left hundreds injured, shows that the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) requires assistance, the Railroad Association said on Thursday.
RRA chief executive Mesela Nhlapo said the collision on Tuesday pointed to the need to assist Prasa, which operates passenger rail services in South Africa, to maintain and upgrade its rail and signalling infrastructure to match its new fleet of passenger trains.
"The industry has local and international players who can offer technical, engineering and advisory assistance to Prasa to overhaul its infrastructure," said Nhlapo.
The RRA says the accident, which happened near the Mountain View station northeast of Pretoria, pointed to the need for an industry-wide solution to prevent future occurrences.
Transport Minister Blade Nzimande has expressed outrage at the accident and blamed cable theft.
The trains were both travelling on the same line towards Pretoria from Mabopane when they collided at Mountain View Station.
They were transporting more than 800 passengers.