Friday, 22nd February marked the first anniversary of the tragic train crash of the Sarmiento line at the Once Station. The crash resulted in the deaths of 51 and injuries to upward of 700 people. Oral proceedings for the case have been set to begin, but none have yet been punished for the disaster.

The Indy took to the streets to see what porteños had to say about the tragedy, one year after its occurrence.

 Victoria, psychology student, Tribunales

The crash occurred because the train was traveling poorly. There is not proper maintenance of the stations in public transportation. The fault lies with TBA and the workers stationed at the controls at the time. The changes made by the government have been sufficient. They have taken the measures that the situation warrants.

Rodrigo, design student, Tribunales

To me, the company is to fault. I would like to see the trains, the train company, that is, improve the conditions of the stations and the cars. Preferably, the government would use subsidies to achieve these changes and improve safety. That is what I would like to see.

Teodora, homemaker, Recoleta

I lost a friend there, a friend who was going to work. And to this point, there has been no justice here. I don’t take the trains. Very rarely. I take the buses and subtes. After this incident, I’m more afraid to take the trains. Who is responsible? The company because it needed to have more regulations. The government had something to do with the conditions the train was in and had a hand in protecting the safety of the public, but no one cares about the public. And there have been no changes. I would like to see an improvement in the security so that people can travel in peace.

 Carol, state worker, Tribunales

It was a big disgrace that occurred. The trains are in poor condition. They’re very deteriorated. The people cannot travel well. After the accident, I am afraid to take the trains. You cannot do it. The people cannot win. Nothing has changed. I would like to see more security on the trains, because there are a lot of robberies. The government is responsible because it is supposed to take care of the people.

The front of the train involved in the Once train crash (Photo Beatrice Murch)

The 2^nd Chamber of the Federal Court confirmed the prosecution of two former transport secretaries, Juan Pablo Schiavi and Ricardo Jaime, for their responsibility in the train crash that killed 51 people in February 2012.

The prosecution of the two Cirigliano brothers, businessmen from Cometrans and TBA, the two companies in charge of the rail network, were also confirmed. The court also decided that the two should be arrested and put into preventive custody.

The ruling released by the court stated that the accident could have been avoided and that “the negligence in the operation of the train and its maintenance made it a tragedy of enormous magnitude”.

On 22nd February the Sarmiento Line train failed to brake when entering the Once station while carrying more than 1,200 passengers. It crashed into the platform at the end of the line causing 51 deaths and over 800 injuries.

The three members of the court who signed the ruling, Horacio Rolando Cattani, Martín Irurzun and Eduardo G. Farah, considered that the public servants “had failed to fulfil their duties”. The ruling says that the officials’ monitoring of the train lines was “insufficient”.

The driver of the train, Antonio Córdoba, was also deemed to be responsible by the court, overruling the decision of Judge Claudio Bonadío, and adding him to the list of those prosecuted. In his case the court stated that the driver was going faster than the maximum authorised speed and had turned off security safeguards.

The court also put an embargo and all the property of the suspects being processed “up to the sum of $600m”.

This ruling comes less than 24 hours after President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announced on national television that the trains of the Sarmiento and Mitre lines would be entirely replaced in the next 21 months.

Family, friends, and loved ones of the victims of the Once train crash today released black balloons in the station terminal to mark eight months since the accident that killed 51 and injured more than 700 people.

At 8.32am, the exact time of the crash, a siren sounded in the Sarmiento terminal and the group carried out a commemorative service, named the “Heart Memorial”, on platform one in memory of their loved ones.  Speeches from parents of the deceased, celebrated last Friday’s prosecution of former Transport secretaries Ricardo Jaime and Juan Pablo Schiavi while at the same time pressing the need for “further progress”. Luján Rey, mother of Lucas Menghini, said “one door closed on Friday and today another one opens. We expect confirmation of the prosecutions to come from the public prosecutor and the chamber”.

The families also denounced the failure by officials to improve conditions on public transport, saying “it’s embarrassing that eight months after the tragedy, the trains continue to run in such appalling conditions, putting the public permanently at risk”. The government were urged to “think of the people and forget political loyalties and winning votes”.

The driver of the train, Marcos Antonio Córdoba, was dismissed by the Trenes de Buenos Aires (TBA) for being responsible for the crash, although the disaster can be attributed to the “terrible conditions in which trains are being run” according to Claudio Bonadío, the judge responsible for the case.

After the memorial events at Once station, the group will take to the streets and march to Congress. This evening, they will move to San Martín Square to  take photos for the “500,000 Faces for Justice” campaign that seeks to achieve justice for the victims of the crash. This campaign involves taking photos of members of the public who support the cause, 200,000 photos of people from all over Argentina have already been collected.

Judge Claudio Bonadío will reach a decision within two weeks about who was responsible for February’s Once Train Crash that killed 51 and injured hundreds.

This week, he will be looking at the final details leading up to the crash, including whether the driver of train, Marcos Antonio Córdoba, had an epileptic episode seconds before impact.

The decision comes after Federal Prosecutor Federico Delgado called for due process of those charged last month. Former Ministry of Transport officials Juan Pablo Schiavi and Ricardo Jaime, Buenos Aires Trains (TBA) executives Carlo Michele Ferrari and Antonio Cirigliano and Cometrans President Claudio Cirigliano have all been accused, in addition to the Córdoba.

According to Pagina 12, Bonadío will continue investigating the culpability of the driver, although he will also take into account the responsibility of the TBA executives and government officials. Bonadio’s decision will be a difficult one, as it will be one that addresses imprudence and negligence as opposed to intent.

Pagina 12 reports that there remain two key elements that Bonadío needs to look at before his decision can be reached: to investigate the complexities around the TBA’s use of state funding and the medical records of Córdoba, as the driver claimed he applied the brakes, which just did not work.

Delgado hopes that the focus remains on the conditions of service of the TBA and the role of the government in the matter. He explained that the fatal crash should be a wake-up call to the state the transit is in.

Ultimately, Bonadío’s decision will be one that addresses the “improper” use and infrastructure that the current transit system faces as well as a push to offer a more efficient and safe service to the public.

Interior Minister, Florencio Randazzo kicks off a two year rail investment project tomorrow starting with improvements to the Sarmiento railway tunnel. The work in the ‘biggest tunnel in Latin America’ marks the first project from a new transport investment scheme, the details of which are being decided this week. More than $1 billion will be put into improving the network across a period of two years.

The exact details of the new transport plan are being determined over the next 15 days. However, the short term focus will be on the Sarmiento and Mitre branches, previously managed by the Buenos Aires Trenes company (TBA).

TBA were stripped of their contract a month ago due to investigations into the Once train crash in February in which 51 people died.  The cause of the devastating crash on the 22^nd February is still under investigation, however the consistent lack of investment in the city’s transport infrastructure is not under debate.

The new investment scheme is divided into three parts and will improve signalling, tracks, and rolling stock. The project is being headed by the Interior Ministry. It was taken out of the hands of the Ministry of Federal Planning on the 7^th June and will be led by interior minister Florencio Randazzo instead of planning minister Julio de Vido.

The change comes after President Fernández replaced head of Transport Juan Pablo Schiavi with Alejandro Ramos in March.

Tomorrow, work will begin to renew 60 km of track.  Fourty three changes will be made to the Sarmiento line which connects the Once station with the area of Moreno.  The line has been handed over to the privately-owned Metrovías and Ferrovías companies.

“We’ve taken a political decision to make these changes” said Florencio Randazzo during a visit to José León Suárez station on the Mitre branch last Friday. “These works are finally being carried out after years of a lack in investment and maintenance by private companies.”

Randazzo and Ramos met with Benito Roggio from Metrovías and Gabriel Romero from Ferrovias last week to continue discussions about the new contracts.

The final plan is due to be announced on the 13th July.

Marcos Córdoba, driver of the train that crashed at Once station on Feb 22^nd, extended his preliminary testimony in court this morning.

Córdoba extended his statement in front of Federal Judge Claudio Bonadio at the high court. In his preliminary statement Córdoba cited technical problems and brake failure. However a medical examination suggests the driver could have had a physical problem, possibly epilepsy, preventing him from stopping the train.

Defence attorney Valeria Corbaccio, who, according to news agencies has previously defended members of the police, is representing Córdoba in the case on the crash which killed 51 people, and left 700 injured.

Córdoba’s new statement comes after court appearances from former Transport Minister Juan Schiavi and head of TBA Claudio Cirigliano, who testified in the last few days. Schiavi blamed the driver for the crash in his statement on Tuesday, suggesting Córdoba “failed to stop for some physical or psychological health problem.”

Yesterday, Cirigliano stated in front of the court that, “the experts say it was a human problem. It must have been something the driver missed; he must not have been in the right mind frame to stop the train. The systems functioned.”

Three months after a train crash in Buenos Aires left 51 people dead and more than 700 injured, the national government has terminated their contract with Buenos Aires’ Trains (TBA), the company holding the reins at the time.

Federal Planning Minister Julio De Vido announced this afternoon that TBA will lose its hold on the westbound Sarmiento and northbound Mitre lines, which will be handed over to the privately-owned Metrovías and Ferrovías. Metrovías is in charge of running the Subte and the commuters’ Urquiza Line in Buenos Aires, while Ferrovías manages some commuter rail services as well as the Puerto Madero Tramway.

Both Metrovías and Ferrovías – along with TBA, until today – are members of the Emergency Rail Operations Management Unit, which formed in 2004 after transit concessions granted to Metropolitano in 1994 were revoked due to a decline in services.

“TBA has been excluded from the system as an operator and provider of rail service,” De Vido said.

He also said the decision was based on the “the poor state of repair and maintenance, and the deterioration of the capacity and quality of service.”

The deadly 22nd February train crash at Once station had critics of the system calling for the government to end its ties with TBA. Days afterward, Argentine auditor-general Leandro Despouy called for the national government to terminate further contracts with TBA. The Nation’s General Audit also conducted a report in 2008, which denounced the failure of TBA to comply with security regulations.

The federal government announced on the 28th February that it would temporarily take over TBA while an investigation was conducted, though the government had to extend the intervention several times as the investigation went on.

Since the crash, there have been protests from victims and their families. As well, the federal transport minister resigned, and a slew of top train officials were forbidden from leaving the country.

Federal Judge Claudio Bonadio has summoned for questioning several former and current officials of Buenos Aires Trains (TBA) in accordance with the investigation into the Once train accident of 22nd February.

As part of the inquiry, Judge Bonadio has ruled that officials from TBA dating back as far as 2003, including former transport secretaries Ricardo Jaime and Juan Pablo Schiavi, must now testify in court.

Among others who will be called to testify, Roque Cirigliano, rolling stock manager for TBA, figures among the big names in the investigation into the accident that claimed 51 lives and injured 700 people.

In addition to collecting statements from the management of TBA, others from the operational area of TBA and Sarmiento Railway will be called to testify in court.

The direction of the investigation, based on information collected by experts since late February, now suggests that Judge Bonadio will target the lack of maintenance and administration of resources in the years leading up to the accident.

The Federal Criminal Court today quashed federal judge Claudio Bonadio’s decision to accept the state as plaintiff investigating the cause of the Once train crash in February, which killed 51 and wounded more than 700.

The court also ruled that Bonadio will continue to lead the investigation, rejecting the challenge raised by prosecution attorney Gregorio Dalbón.

Federal Planning Ministry’s legal subsecretary Rafael Enrique Llorens was set to represent the national government as plaintiff in the case, which Judge Claudio Bonadío is overseeing.

Judges Martín Irurzun and Eduardo Farah, considered that “strictly speaking, it’s common sense – by those qualities, prima facie stands as an obstacle to granting the power to (the state) to act as complainant in the process.”

According to La Nación, the information was published in the Judicial Information Centre.

Federal Planning Minister Julio de Vido, and former transport minister Juan Pablo Schiavi, had announced the day after the tragedy that the government would stand as plaintiff.

“At the request of the president, we are going to present as a private plaintiff to defend the public interest and assist the wounded and families of the victims,” Schiavi said on that occasion. “We will be part of the court record.”

On 22nd February, a train crashed into Once Station, killing 51 people and injuring more than 700. Since then, there have been protests demanding justice and answers, and an investigation into the circumstances leading up to the crash.

The federal government took over the privately-run Buenos Aires Trains (TBA) after the crash, a company under heavy scrutiny for its role in the deaths.

The federal government has extended its intervention of the train system for 15 more days, awaiting the completion of an inquiry into the crash at Once station.

On 28th February, the government announced that there would be a technical and operational “intervention” of Buenos Aires Trains (TBA) until today.

Signed by Planning Minister Julio De Vido, the new measure was announced in an official bulletin and gives the government control for 15 extra days “in order to ensure continuity and regularity of public service and ensure the safety of users” of the Mitre and Sarmiento railway lines.

The initial measure came days after the tragic train crash at Once Station, which killed 51 people and injured more than 700.

The privately company TBA runs various train services in Buenos Aires, and is under intense scrutiny for its role in the crash. On 9th March, Federal Judge Claudio Bonadío – heading the inquiry into the crash – ordered an investigation into TBA’s finances. On 5th March, TBA bosses were also in the list of people restricted from leaving the country by Bonadío.

The intervention extension comes just after the mother of one of the victims asked yesterday that those responsible be charged with manslaughter.

Francisca Centurión, whose son Randulfo González Centurión was killed in the crash, asked the judge working on the case to prosecute those responsible.

“This was not a fluke; this was a criminal act,” she said in a letter, according to Tucumán’s La Gaceta.