Tag: train crash

  • Truck driver is a card-bearing NDC member – NPP’s Nana B on train crash

    Truck driver is a card-bearing NDC member – NPP’s Nana B on train crash

    National Organiser of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Henry Nana Boakye, asserted during an interview on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia morning show on Monday, April 22, 2024, that the driver responsible for the accident involving a newly acquired train during a test run is affiliated with the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

    Nana B maintained that the incident was a deliberate act of sabotage orchestrated by the opposition to tarnish the government’s reputation.

    “So Kwame, won’t you talk about the new train which was being tested that had an accident because an NDC person parked a car on the tracks?” he questioned the host.

    The host in response, probed whether Nana B had any evidence to prove his claim, to which he insisted that the driver who has since been convicted for his action is an NDC member.

    “I am telling you that he is NDC, we also have people there, he is a true NDC member with a party card in that constituency… If you look at the way the car was parked, it was very deliberate. Do you think it is okay for the NDC to do that? Such evil mindset, that a new train has arrived and for the government to receive praise you would cause its destruction.

    “The NDC is typically full of evil mindset. You listen to how happy they sound on social media. Even former President John Dramani Mahama, who is supposed to condemn such conduct, was saying he would be asking questions if he were to be president. He is not concerned about the person who caused the incident,” he submitted.

    Last week, a court sentenced Abel Dzidotor, the individual responsible for the accident involving the newly imported train on the Tema-Mpakadan railway line, to six months’ imprisonment with hard labour.

    Dzidotor confessed to three of the four charges brought against him, which included inconsiderate driving, unauthorised stopping, and causing unlawful damage.

    The fourth charge, failure to produce a driver’s license, was disputed by Dzidotor, who asserted that his license was inside the damaged vehicle.

    He has been directed to present the licence to the court by May 9, 2024, to avoid potential repercussions.

    The Ghana Police Service apprehended Dzidotor for causing the accident, which occurred on April 18 during a test run of a newly imported train from Poland.

    Preliminary investigations conducted by the police revealed that Dzidotor left the Hyundai truck with registration number GS 9018–20 unattended on the railway line, resulting in a collision with the train.

    The accident reportedly transpired when Abel Dzidotor went to deliver cement blocks, but the truck became stuck on the rail upon his return.

  • It’s a plan to milk some insurance money and share – Capt. Smart to govt on train crash

    It’s a plan to milk some insurance money and share – Capt. Smart to govt on train crash

    Ghanaian media personality and host of the morning show ‘Maakye’ on Onua TV, Captain Smart, has alleged that the government intentionally left a truck on the railway tracks during a test run of two newly acquired diesel-powered trains from Poland, aimed at improving the country’s railway transport system.

    He has raised concerns about the competence of the officials overseeing the locomotive test, questioning how they could have been unaware of the presence of the truck obstructing the path of the train. This oversight resulted in damage to the cabin area of the train.

    His comments come after one of two trains acquired from Poland rammed into an abandoned Hyndai truck on the tracks of the railway lines.

    Train accident

    He alleged that ” You see, they have announced they are going for insurance. Yes, they are going to take the money and share it among themselves .Its an old train and they deliberately left this thing there to take money for damages.

    From nowhere, the truck driver decided to curve and land on the lines? In any case, those who were testing to check if the train lines were intact. Are they trying to tell us that they didn’t see the truck parked on the railway?

    Locomotive test officers didn’t see this truck? They are aware; they know it was a deliberate thing.”

    Train-crashed into this truck

    Capt. Smart also said that the two trains were gifted to the president. According to him, these are old trains that have been rebranded and gifted to Ghana, daring the government to present it’s receipts if the said trains were paid for.

    “The government didn’t pay a dime for these trains; it was a gift to them. If it’s a lie, they should publish receipts.

    These trains are old trains that have been repainted and branded,” he added.

    Meanwhile, the Ministry of Railway Development, in its statement, addressed the incident as “unfortunate, irresponsible, and unpatriotic.” According to them that despite the immediate application of the emergency braking system, the train was unable to come to a complete stop before colliding with the vehicle.

  • “If I were president, I’d be asking some serious questions” – Mahama on train crash

    “If I were president, I’d be asking some serious questions” – Mahama on train crash

    The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, Former President John Dramani Mahama, has weighed in on the recent incident involving one of the newly acquired modern trains from Poland.

    The Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) collided with a parked Hyundai truck during a test run on the Tema-Mpakadan railway line in the Asuogyaman District.

    In a post shared on X on Friday, April 19, 2024, Mahama raised several concerns, suggesting negligence on the part of those responsible for conducting the test run.

    He questioned why the newly acquired train was being tested on the Tema-Mpakadan railway line, which was also new, without first ensuring that the tracks were properly checked.

    “How can you conduct a test run on a new railway line without a track inspection?” he quizzed.

    The former president also asked: “How long had the vehicle been on the track before the test run?”

    He added that if he were the president, he would hold the people responsible for the incident accountable.

    “If I were president, I’d be asking some serious questions,” he added.

    Background:

    The Ministry of Railways Development, in a press statement issued on April 18, 2024, confirmed reports that one of the modern trains had been involved in a crash.

    It said that the DMU hit a stationary vehicle during the test run, adding that no one was injured.

    “At approximately 12:10 pm on Thursday, April 18, 2024, while conducting the test, an incident took place around Km76+100.

    The DMU, upon approaching the curve at Km76+100, encountered a stationary vehicle stationed right across the rail track. Despite the immediate application of the emergency braking system, the train was unable to come to a complete stop before colliding with the vehicle,” the statement said.

    The ministry added, “The DMU involved has been moved to the workshop for further assessment and necessary repairs.”

    Following the incident, proponents of the government and ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), including the Minister for Railway Development, John-Peter Amewu, have made allegations that the incident was orchestrated to sabotage the deployment of the train.

  • Dozens injured in Spanish train collision near Barcelona

    Emergency services have said, at least 150 people were injured when two trains collided in the Catalonia region of north-eastern Spain.

    The crash happened around 07:50 (06:50 GMT) at a station on the outskirts of Barcelona.

    According to local media, the trains were travelling in the same direction when they collided while one was parked at the station.

    The cause of the accident is unknown, and officials have yet to comment.

    The crash occurred at the Montcada I Reixac – Manresa station, about 12 kilometres (7 miles) from the city centre, according to emergency officials on Twitter.

    Emergency services said on Twitter that 150 people were “in a mild condition” and five others were “in a less serious condition.”

    They added that three people had been transferred to hospital.

    Train traffic was briefly disrupted on several lines due to the accident, the national rail service Renfe said.

    One passenger told RAC1, a local radio station, that “train was full and my carriage, which was the last one, was completely full” at the time of the collision.