All injured passengers except two discharged

Passenger train service between Riyadh and Dammam resumed Wednesday evening after a Riyadh-bound train that derailed early morning the same day disrupted operations.
Hamed Al-Abdul Qader, acting president of the Saudi Railways Organization, said SRO’s maintenance team removed the engine and carriages of the train from the railway track and checked the condition of tracks before resuming normal
operations.
He added: “The reservation of seats on trains has also returned to normal.
“All injured passengers have left hospitals, except two Asian women.”
However, he pointed out their conditions were stable.
Freight services were not affected by the accident as freight trains run on a different track.
Thirty-five people were injured after a Dammam-Riyadh train carrying 332 passengers derailed on Wednesday morning near Al-Khurais junction, about 70 km from Riyadh.
Al-Abdul Qader said the driver and the entire crew of the train are being held in the custody of Riyadh traffic police. He said SRO would complete procedures for their release and also question the crew members.
Al-Abdul Qader said a high-level committee has been set up to investigate the derailment of the train.
He added: “The committee has taken evidence from the accident scene. It has taken note of the train’s speed from the beginning of its trip until the accident. We would like to publish the investigation report to ensure transparency.”
He said the SRO has a modern workshop and equipment as well as qualified maintenance staff to carry out work with efficiency. “We follow international standards in all our maintenance work.”
Referring to the technical problems of newly bought engines, he said: “The manufacturing company has changed its programs and these engines will be used for scheduled trips during Ramadan.
“The regular operations at this time of the summer have given us confidence about the work done by the company to resolve technical problems.”
He said SRO had taken a number of measures to ensure the safety of train journeys.
“The construction of a two-way track between Riyadh and Dammam is one of these measures. We also carried out fencing of railway tracks.
“We have constructed bypasses to separate trains from other vehicles, and we have contracted a railway safety expert to implement extra safety measures. We don’t show any leniency in the matter of safety.”
He said a train driver should obtain at least a diploma from an industrial institute and technical college and must attend training courses. He should also attend a special course on driving trains. He should work as an assistant driver before becoming a driver.