The deputy general secretary of the United National Transport Union, John Pereira, has highlighted the hazardous conditions faced by South Africa's train drivers as they navigate railway lines carrying bulk cargo and container freight.
Pereira, a former locomotive operator, expressed concerns about the potential dangers train drivers encounter along routes, emphasising the risks to their physical and mental well-being due to prolonged exposure to perilous circumstances.
Pereira revealed that challenges on these routes not only jeopardise the safety of train drivers but also significantly impact delivery schedules.
Manual tasks, instead of automated functions, are employed to address issues, reflecting a disconnect from modern digital procedures in the 21st century.
The primary threats identified by Pereira are cable theft and the destruction of rail infrastructure along routes.
He explained that across the country, informal suppliers to the scrap metal industry disrupt the signalling system by tearing up copper cables.
This leaves operators without proper guidance, forcing them to rely on train drivers communicating positions through cellular technology, a claim supported by an executive engineer working for Transnet.
The engineer, whose name is withheld for not following protocol, affirmed that the railway network is under constant direct and indirect attacks, particularly for freight trains passing through densely populated informal settlements to the east and south of Gauteng.
Criminal interference with the system, often through deploying well-orchestrated methods, wreaks havoc on railways, impacting their efficiency and safety.
Pereira stressed that frequent delays along routes could force drivers to work longer hours than their shifts require, compounding fatigue in an already perilous environment.
He likened the challenging conditions to "driving in heavy mist for 12 hours non-stop."
Furthermore, Pereira highlighted situations where train drivers find themselves in areas with no cellphone reception, making it impossible to report progress manually.
This lack of communication poses difficulties for controllers in accurately tracking a trip's progress, leading to cascading effects on cargo receivers and hindering unloading procedures.
“In some cases, the staff of the closest depot along the route are forced to drive out to meet the train, which can take hours.,” Pereira told Moneyweb.
Only then can he or she give the driver authorisation for the train to continue,” he added, underlining the operational challenges faced by the railway system in South Africa.
