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UITP reacts to Moscow metro accident

Posted: 16 July 2014 | UITP | No comments yet

Following the tragic derailment of a metro train in the Russian capital Moscow, UITP extends its condolences to the victims and reassures regarding the safety of metro systems…

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Following the tragic derailment of a metro train in the Russian capital Moscow yesterday (15 July 2014), UITP (the International Association of Public Transport) extends its condolences to the victims and reassures regarding the safety of metro systems.

Every day, 148 metro systems around the world safely carry over 150 million passengers on 540 lines, over 11,000km and to/from 9,000 stations. Such terrible accidents as happened in the Moscow metro yesterday are extremely rare events; taking into account the safety record of metros worldwide, they can be considered the safest mode of transport.

In the last 15 years, 56 people lost their lives in four accidents in Valencia, Rome, Washington and Tokyo. This makes for a safety record of less than four casualties per year, compared to the 400,000 people who lose their lives in car accidents in urban areas each year.

“UITP extends its deepest sympathies to the victims and their families of this terrible accident in Moscow,” commented UITP Secretary General, Alain Flausch. “Ensuring citizens around the world get to school or work safely every day is the number one priority for the public transport industry, although we realise that ‘100% safety’ does not exist. While such incidents put metro systems in the spotlight, we can take some solace from the fact that such events remain extremely rare”. 

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