Train carrying President derails on way to Cartago
SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA – September 16th, 2012 – Lack of planning and mistakes by engineers while performing repairs of the old train tracks between San Jose and Cartago are being blamed for causing President Laura Chinchilla quite a scare.
Five kilometers before reaching Cartago, a train carrying Costa Rica’s President derailed due to misaligned “sleepers”, rusted screws, and rails in bad condition, some 80 or more years old.
It was during an Independence Day celebration last year, in fact, when Chinchilla promised that this year the train would reach Cartago, the nation’s original capital city.
However, the work remains incomplete and the Costa Rican Railway Institute (INCOFER) will now need to assess the failure before the train route goes into service in December.
The derailment occurred at 4:45 on Friday afternoon.
The accident did not cause any damage or injuries, but brought a couple of laughs from the President, who promised to carry out an investigation.
Some are blaming political pressure to complete the route for the mishap.
El Pais
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