ZAMBIA Railways Limited (ZRL) is contemplating suing the company of the tanker driver who caused the accident that claimed the lives of two train operators and the damage to the locomotives which got burnt in the process.
ZRL public relations manager, Caristo Chitamfya said in an interview that they had not ruled out suing because they wanted to send a message out there that one could not cause the loss of lives and damage of property and get away with it.
Mr Chitamfya said that they were just waiting for the funeral of the two train operators to be done, then they would count the cost of the damage and consider the legal implementation. A ZRL goods train collided with a fuel tanker truck and caught fire which led to the loss of life of two train operators and damage of the locomotive in Kapiri Mposhi on February 14, 2022.
He said that the locomotive was damaged in the fire but all the 19 wagons laden with cargo remained intact with a few showing some minor problems.
The wagons were transported to the ZRL Kapiri Station for safe custody and for re-shipment. Mr Chitamfya said that locomotives were extremely expensive and would cost a fortune to replace but no piece of equipment would compare to the loss of life.
According to the latest prices of locomotives, the cheapest Diesel-Electric engine Locomotives cost between $1,200,000 and $2,200,000.
He also said that ZRL in partnership with the local authorities has removed all the vendors who trade near the level crossing points in the Central province starting from Kabwe.
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