The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) is complying with the Rail Safety Regulator's (RSR) directive to replenish its brake block stock and also implement other key interventions nationally, in line with accepted safety standards.
“The safety of our passengers is a priority within our operations, hence our commitment to only use brake blocks that are within the accepted engineering safety standard. We have moved to respond by immediately by replenishing our brake block stock not only in response to the RSR but as part of our ongoing safety prioritisation within operations,” Prasa Rail CEO Zwelakhe Mayaba said in a statement on Thursday.
The immediate interventions by Prasa include the delivery of 400 new brake blocks in the Western Cape which is currently operating with compliant brake blocks that are of the required engineering safety standard.
An additional 1 400 brake blocks will be delivered in the Gauteng Region by Friday.
Prasa has confirmed that all trains in operation are not running on re-used brake blocks. KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape currently have excess brake blocks stocks.
Prasa is also finalising a national tender to supply the brake blocks as well as other key spare parts as a permanent solution which is part of PRASA’s key Safety Management solution
“The assessment work of the War Room has been absorbed within the organisation with most of our planning based on its critical assessments on key interventions which include Safe Management. The acquisition of safety critical parts such as through a national tender process will ensure the correct supply of parts which will re-enforce our monitoring systems for brake parts and other key safety critical operational areas,” Mayaba said. – SAnews.gov.za
