Croatian Transport and Infrastructure Minister Bozidar Kalmeta and executives of the Croatian Railways (HZ) company on Monday visited injured passengers who were admitted in the Dubrava hospital after a train incident at Zagreb's Central Station earlier in the day.
In response to reporters' questions whether he was thinking about tenderinghis resignation, the minister said that he was thinking about everything andthat he would think about everything.
"It is not easy to me, as three train accidents have happened thisyear, and a ferry got stranded," Kalmeta said adding that all of this hadfallen within his remit which included the responsibility for the transport.
Kalmeta said that he had already talked with Prime Minister Jadranka Kosorthis morning and that he would meet with her later in the day or tomorrow.
He said that the cause of the train accident had not yet been known.
The train arriving from Sisak at 05.30 hours hit a guardrail while enteringZagreb's Central Station. Before that, the train successfully stopped atseveral stations en route. According to the latest report from the Health Ministry,60 people were injured in the crash. Fifty-five were released after receivingmedical assistance for light injuries, while five remain in hospital, althoughnone is in life danger.
Prime Minister Kosor told the Croatian Radio later in the day that a finaldecision on the possible dismissal of Transport Minister Kalmeta would be mademost probably later on Monday or on Tuesday.
The matter of responsibility should be brought into line with the practicein the world, she said in this context recalling that unfortunately accidentsfollowed one another in the sector of transport.
Responding to reporters' questions during his visit to injured passengers,the Croatian Railways' CEO, Zoran Popovac, said that national railroads weresafe, however, three serious accidents had happened this year.
He added that none of models of transport was safe in complex meteorologicalconditions. This morning when the last accident occurred, extremely lowtemperatures were recorded in the country.
Asked about the average age of trains, he said that engines were old 35 to40 years and that they were regularly overhauled.
He added that at the moment the company needed some 15 multisystem railroadelectric locomotives and 15 diesel locomotives for ensuring regular traffic.
