Train collision in São Paulo injures 38, puts two in critical condition
A train arrives at Bresser station in downtown São Paulo, Brazil, on January 27, 2010.
SÃO PAULO, Brazil—A passenger train and a maintenance engine collided in São Paulo this morning, leaving 38 people injured, with two still in critical condition due to head trauma, reported Brazilian news website UOL.
According to Terra, another Brazilian news site, the maintenance train hit the back end of the Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos (CPTM) passenger train. UOL also reported that the maintenance train engineer was in communication with the Centro de Controle Operacional (Centre of Operational Control) right before the accident occurred.
The engineer continued along the tracks thinking they were free, not knowing the passenger train was still stopped in Vila Clarice station. Both the train engineer and the Centre of Operational Control employee are longtime and experienced employees of CPTM, according to State Secretary of Transportation Jurandir Fernandes in a radio interview with Estadão ESPN.
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Train services are now back on schedule. An investigation is underway in order to find out what really caused the accident.
This isn't the first accident involving CPTM trains to cause injury. According to UOL, two CPTM employees were killed when they were hit by a train while inspecting tracks just last December.