The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) on Friday expressed concerns over frequent railroad level crossing accidents, which it blamed on negligent motorists and pedestrians.
In a statement, NRZ spokesperson Fanuel Masikati said the parastatal was worried about the trend, especially in the greater Harare, Bulawayo and Gweru areas.
He said most cases involved heavy and light vehicles despite the fact that drivers were aware of the need to exercise extreme caution when they are approach railroad level crossings.
He said the recent accident involving an Eagle Liner bus that rammed into a goods train at Kadoma Hotel and Conference Centre level crossing on April 21 was a case in point. One person died and 28 others were injured in the crash.
The NRZ is appealing to all motorists and public transport drivers to exercise extreme care and caution when approaching railroad level crossings, Masikati said.
He said drivers must always heed train drivers hooting from a distance of about 1km before approaching all rail level crossings in order to avoid accidents.
Masikati said the NRZ was engaging other stakeholders including local authorities and relevant government departments to implement short and medium-term plans to reduce level crossing accidents.
He said this would see the construction of speed humps and installation of flashing signals at level crossings.
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The NRZ spokesperson said as a long-term measure, the construction of flyover roads at level crossings would be considered depending on the availability of financial resources.
