Crossing on unauthorised railway lines contributes to more train accidents
The Railway Safety Regulator says increased audits and inspections have led to a decrease in the number of collisions between trains.
The regulator is currently conducting awareness campaigns around the country to promote safe railway behaviour.
Also read: Passengers in Merebank train accident discharged from hospital
The regulator's Nkululeko Poya says stats from their annual state of safety report show more than 400 people have died in accidents involving trains in the last two years.
''Almost all of those, 99% of them, are people that are struck by train. In other words, people that cross the railway lines where they are not supposed to.
''They don't use level crossing or proper crossing points and those are the people that ultimately are injured by the railway system itself.
''The collision between trains have been declining but the collision with objects themselves have not been going down,'' he said.
A man was killed when he was struck by a train near the Cedar station in the Midlands earlier this year while scores of people were hurt when two trains collided near Merebank, south of Durban last week.