Italy crash: Andria station master ‘allowed crash train to pass’



Italy’s president Mattarella met the families of the victims of Tuesday’s train crash in Southern italy at a hospital in Bari.

While camera’s waited outside, one man told journalists the president assured them that the inquiry into what caused the head on collision would not stop until justice is done.

As had been previously suggested, human error was most likely at the heart of the catastrophe between Andria and Corato caused the deaths of at least 23 people.

The line relied on an antiquated communications system, using telephone calls to coordinate traffic on the single line track.

The now suspended Andria station master Vito Piccarreta said he had allowed one of the trains to pass but insisted he was not the only one at fault and that he is a victim too.

Money had been set aside by the EU for refurbishing the line, although corruption is said to be behind the lack of renovation.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-07-16

That is some cock-up. Terrible.

Of course he allowed the train through and does so everyday. The headlines are misleading. He didn't let the train go when he knew that there was another on the same line but reverse direction but because he did not know that due to lack of communication.

Sad story mostly due to a lack of funding. Of course, NOW everything will get upgraded.

Poor old Vito, "he is a victim too." Can he explain why he let a train pass when he couldn't get positive confirmation the line was clear?

Since railways were invented in UK a driver on a single line track carried a token ,this gave him right of way over the one way stretch. No driver could take a train along this stretch without the token. How difficult is that ?

Since railways were invented in UK a driver on a single line track carried a token ,this gave him right of way over the one way stretch. No driver could take a train along this stretch without the token. How difficult is that ?

2 tokens.