SANTO DOMINGO. The Office for the Reorganization of Transportation (Opret) reported that further investigations are being carried out to determine the cause that led one of the drivers to commit a "chain of errors".
The agency said on Monday that the analyses carried out so far show that there were several violations of the operating protocols by one of the drivers of the two trains that collided last Saturday at 11:00 a.m., which left nine users of the service injured.
According to a statement from OPRET, the driver has worked for the institution since 2012 and "rose through the ranks to become a driver, meeting the rigorous standards and training requirements that all Santo Domingo Metro drivers undergo." The statement affirmed that he has accumulated "more than 1,500 hours of driving experience.".
He explains that the faults of the driver, whose name he does not reveal, occurred in "a short time the movement of the train on the opposite track, the safety system being activated without allowing him to accelerate to more than 20 km/h, stopping 268 meters from the Mamá Tingó station.".
It is recalled that the collision occurred between the Gregorio Urbano Gilbert and Mamá Tingó stations, on Line 1 of the Santo Domingo Metro, in Villa Mella, Santo Domingo Norte.
The institution conducting the investigation, with the support of international technicians, added that the accident occurred on a curve, which prevented proper visibility between the two trains and reduced the reaction capacity of the operator driving the train traveling in the correct direction towards the Mamá Tingó station.
The second driver's appropriate behavior, by activating the emergency brakes, "drastically reduced the severity of the collision between both vehicles" and, therefore, a more serious accident.
The two train drivers were arrested and questioned on the day of the collision, but released hours later, although they remain under investigation by the National Department of Investigations and other security agencies.
OPRETguaranteed users of the Santo Domingo Metro the continuity of operations with the usual quality and safety standards.
