Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) has revealed that a train has a right of way at all level crossings. The revelation was made by Mr. John Linonn, the spokesperson of URC.
A level crossing is a place where a railway line and a road meet each other on the same level.
On Sunday, there was a fatal accident which involved an SUV, a motor vehicle registration number Mercedes Benz registration number UBJ 053N and Locomotive Number 7315. Three people (all occupants of the SUV) were confirmed to have died in the accident.
The deceased included Norbert Tizikara, 32, an architect with the Uganda Police Construction Unit and the proprietor of Redion Designs, Aturinda Caroline. Caroline was an LDC student who was scheduled to graduate on 29th July, 2022 and another unidentified person.
“Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) is saddened by the accident that involved one of our Locomotive Number 7315 with an SUV, a motor vehicle at the Nakawa Level Crossing that resulted in loss of life and damage of property at 03:30am on Sunday, 10th July 2022. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families of the deceased,” Lenonn said.
At the time of the incident, Lenonn said the locomotive had departed Namanve Industrial Park after delivering cargo to the respective clients and was enroute to Kampala station.
He said URC has instituted internal investigations and is fully cooperating with Uganda Police Force investigators to find out what exactly happened. “Appropriate action will be taken after the findings are released.”
URC urged all road users to always exercise caution when approaching railway crossings. “Safety in railway operations is paramount. At every level crossing, motorists are advised to keep a two-meter distance from the line whether a train is approaching or not,” he said.
“Section 41(5) of URC Act 1992, gives a train right of way at all level crossings. It should however be noted that this provision of the law ensures that trains and all road users coexist. Unique circumstances were taken into consideration under which trains operate, one of them being the inability to bring a train to a dead stop,” he said.
