(Photo by Mohamed Omar/DNE)
The Shura Council, Egypt’s upper house of parliament, on Wednesday formed a committee to investigate the deadly Badrashein train crash.
Mohamed Al-Sherbeeny, head of the transportation committee in the council, said he opposes condemnations and investigations without real change. Al-Sherbeeny said funding was needed to develop the railways, adding that the government was responsible for the crash.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Cabinet discussed the crash as statements of condemnation poured in.
During the meeting attended by Prime Minsiter Hesham Qandil, the ministers discussed ways of developing the railways.
The ministers discussed how to move on from the tragic Badrashein train crash and to provide the families of the dead and injured support.
The Minister of Tranportation annouunced late Wednesday that EGP 575 million have been allocated to the Railways Authority inurgent funds. He added that EGP 15 billion will be allocted to develop the railways in grants and loans.
The train crash took place on Monday just minutes before midnight in Badrashein, Giza. The train was transporting Central Security Forces conscripts of whom 19 died and 117 were injured.
The train was travelling from Assiut in Upper Egypt to Cairo when the last carriage separated and hit a freight train on an adjacent railway.
Investigations into the crash have started and the prosecution ordered on Tuesday the detention of the train driver for four days. The driver would be blood tested for drugs and alcohol.
President Mohamed Morsy visited the injured at Maadi Military Hospital on Tuesday night. On Wednesday morning he ordered any injured in the hospitals in Badrashein and Hawamdiyah requiring specialist care be transported to Cairo.
The train crash has sparked nationwide outrage and protests across the country have been held in an attempt to stop the trains from moving and killing more people. The Badrashein train crash comes after another deadly train crash in Assiut last November which left dozens of school children dead.
The Assiut section of the Strong Egypt Party said it had hoped the death of the school children in the Assiut crash might have been enough to change the railways. “But the institution of corruption is still there… with its negligence and leaders,” the party’s Assiut section said.
The party demanded those responsible be held to account and for an anti-corruption drive in the ministries.
The Free Egyptians Party called for the resignation of the government and that Morsy admit his failure to protect the lives of Egyptians and in his selection of ministers. The party added that the president has been busy with the constitution but has ignored the problems and suffering of the people.
It also said the Egyptian public will not accept the scapegoating of workers or low ranking officials.
Al-Karama Party said the repetition of these crashes was caused by the government’s inability to deal with these issues seriously.
The Social Popular Alliance Party said the crash proves the adoption of the same policies of Mubarak by the Muslim Brotherhood.
For its part, the Freedom and Justice Party, the political arm of the Brotherhood, said the accident was the result of years of corruption. The brotherhood called for investigations to identify those responsible for the crash and called on officials to announce a clear vision to prevent similar incidents.
The 6 April Youth movement said ordinary Egyptians are the ones paying the price for the complete incompetence of the administration. The movement added that if these policies continue, the Badrashein crash will not be the last.
After a disruption to timetables, trains resumed their schedules on Tuesday night.
