Thursday, April 28 2016 16:20

ArmInfo.This year about 10 railway casualties have already been registered in Armenia, including 1 fatality and 2 cases with grave consequences. In the remaining 7 cases, pets were negligently left on the rail tracks, Levon Hakobyan, South Caucasus Railway (SCR) Deputy Director for Safety, said on April 28. He noted that in 2015 there were 44 such cases.

As the number of casualties has increased, Hakobyan thinks it is reasonable to elaborate special legislation that would regulate the railway service and the use of penalties.

For his part, Emin Nersisyan, Head of the Yerevan Base Station, said that there are nearly 101 railway crossings throughout the republic, including 27 guarded crossings. He said that the number of railway crossings can be increased if needed. For that purpose, it is necessary to apply to the relevant ministry for financial resources to construct additional crossings.

To note, SCR CJSC is a 100% subsidiary of the Russian Railway OJSC and the concessional manager of Armenian Railway under the 13 Feb 2008 agreement, which was signed for 30 years and may be prolonged for 10 more years.