Passengers are evacuated from one of the derailed carriages on Wednesday. — Okaz photosRIYADH – Train traffic between Riyadh and Dammam resumed late Wednesday after services were disrupted following a derailment that left at least 35 people injured, Saudi railway officials said Thursday. An investigation is already under way to determine the cause of the accident. Speaking at a press conference in Riyadh, Hamad Abdel Qader, acting Director General of Saudi Railways Organization (SRO), said a five-member committee had been formed to investigate the accident and the results would be ready by next week. He ruled out sabotage as the probable cause. “Train services between all stations returned to normal since Wednesday evening following the regrettable accident involving passenger train No.1 Wednesday during a scheduled trip from Dammam to Riyadh," said Abdel Qader. He said the services were resumed after maintenance crew lifted the derailed coaches and cleared the route. The organization is making reservations as normal, he added. The train's three carriages and the locomotive had derailed near Al-Khurais junction, about 70 km east of Riyadh. There were 332 passengers on board. Abdel Qader said the accident did not affect cargo traffic as goods trains used a separate railroad. He said the investigation team, including SRO officials, had visited the accident scene and collected important evidence to determine the cause of the accident. They included the voice recorder that captures conversations between the train's driver and the control room, as well as train's log book. The results of the investigation would be revealed to the public as soon as they were available, the SRO official said, underlining the organization's policy of ensuring transparency in all its activities. He said the organization's workshops and maintenance crew had the capability to efficiently carry out the maintenance work to international standards. Abdel Qader said there had been technical issues related to the train's programming. “The manufacturing company has amended the programming and it is being tested to ensure operational safety in high Saudi temperatures. The SRO is following up measures being taken by the company. The trains are still on test run and the SRO has not taken delivery of the trains officially. The new trains will start their service in light of the results, probably after Ramadan," he said. Abdel Qader said all injured passengers had left hospitals except two Asian women, whose conditions were reported to be stable. The SRO was completing procedures to get the train's driver released from detention, he added. – SG/SPA
