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MeneameArgentine capital Buenos Aires' third fatal commuter rail crash in the past six months has again raised concerns over the safety of the country's rail networks.
The crash, which took place Wednesday morning on the capital's Sarmiento passenger rail line, left at least 49 dead and around 600 injured, said transport secretary Juan Pablo Schiavi.
The accident occurred when a busy commuter train operated by local rail concessionaire TBA impacted with a safety barrier at the Once station, trapping passengers inside. Initial reports suggested the crash could have been caused by brake failure; however, Schiavi said GPS tracking showed the train slowed significantly before the impact, from 47km/h when it was 1km away from the station to 20km/h as it came within 40m.
The transport secretary blamed the high rate of casualties on the fact that the train's first two carriages, which suffered most of the impact, were extremely crowded.
"It's because of this very Argentine custom of staying in the first two cars in order to get out sooner," the official said.
TRACK RECORD
At least five fatal passenger rail accidents occurred in Argentina during 2011, including several crashes between trains and other forms of transport in the capital, where many rail lines pass through busy residential areas.
In November, eight people died when a train crashed into a van carrying schoolchildren in San Luis, and 11 were killed and over 200 injured in September when a train crashed into a bus and then another train in the Buenos Aires suburb of Flores.
The September crash caused widespread outrage in the capital and led to some talk of safety reforms; however, little concrete action was taken, said BNamericas reporter Abigail Wilkinson in Buenos Aires.
TBA and rail union representatives were not available for comment.
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