TRAIN/BRT ACCIDENT : CILT Nigeria Harps On Infrastructural Development To Prevent Future Accidents

...Commiserates With Families 

Sequel to Thursday accident between a BRT bus and train that claimed about six lives and scores injured in Lagos, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), Nigeria has harped on adequate transport Infrastructure development connectivity in furtherance to prevent further occurrences .

Mfon Ekong Usoro, President, CILT Nigeria , disclosed this in a statement on Friday, while commiserating with families that lost their loved ones and those injured in the accident, praying for their speedy recovery .

According to the President , the institute recommends short and long term measures for the  government to consider and implement which in turn will forestall future accidents.

She maintained that there should be clear demarcation of responsibilities and efficient coordination between the road and  rail authorities in managing intersections, noting that”Level crossings are essential safety infrastructure for the free flow of transportation where there are intersections between two or more modes of transport.

“The road is designed, constructed, and maintained by a public authority separate from the Nigerian Railway  who owns, maintains the rail tracks and operates the trains. Best practice dictates that rail specific infrastructure such as barriers, gate house, rails and level crossings with adequate signage and audio warnings be provided and maintained by the railway authority.

While highlighting some professional advice to the government, Usoro reiterated that  party responsible for funding the safe operations of the infrastructure should be revisited, stressing that the present system of shared financial responsibility for the provision, manning and maintenance of the safety infrastructure at intersections appears cumbersome and leaves room for lack of accountability.

“With proper dimensioning of roles, adequate funding should be provided for in the budget of the Nigerian Railway Corporation.

Continuing, the former Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) stated that “There are minimum safe distances that must be observed at stops and intersections. A train requires a minimum of 320m adequate distance (safety over-run), this according to her  implies that to stop a train in motion, the driver must apply the brake about 320m to the stop point, pointing out that It is an extremely difficult feat to manoeuver a successful emergency stop for a moving train with shorter safety over-run.

The President noted that this underscores the imperative of installing functional and well manned safety apparatus at every infrastructure.

Additionally, Usoro called for the erection of barriers, construction of road bumps/speed retarders, presence of law enforcement agencies at the level crossings to compliment the work of the gate keepers and aggressive safety awareness campaigns targeted at commuters by the relevant authorities like the road marshals from the state and federal levels.

For the long term solutions ,she stressed the need to reduce the prevalence of intersections adding that separation of the routes for rail tracks and roads and new constructions should as far as is practicable not include intersections in designs hence  flyovers or tunnels are preferred options.

“We commend the FGN for the speedy set up of an investigative panel on the accident. The CILT re-iterates its call for the Government to set up an independent body that will be tasked with investigation of all transport related accidents as recommended in the National Transport Policy.

” It is not best practice to expect the agencies directly or indirectly involved in accidents to investigate itself.

“The establishment of the proposed National Transport Safety Board aligns with global practice and is long overdue. We call on the Honourable Federal Minister of Transportation, most respectfully, to submit the National Transport Policy to the FEC for approval,”she added.

The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) is the world’s leading international professional body for all sectors of the logistics and transport Industry.

CILT is a rich resource for provision of authoritative views on systems and policies relating to Logistics and Transport for government and industry and have highly knowledgeable, skilled and experienced professionals capable of enhancing efficiency in line with best global practices.