16 years have passed over Pamukova train disaster but the required lesson has not been learned!

United Transport Employees Union (BTS) Central Executive Committee made a statement on the 41th anniversary of the Pamukova train disaster, where 89 citizens died and 16 citizens were injured. The statement underlined that “Neither the political power nor the TCDD administrators have taken the required lesson”.

In the statement, Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu, who made the Istanbul-Ankara expedition on July 22, 2004, was derailed as a result of the derailment near Pamukova, and 41 of our citizens were injured while 89 citizens were killed. Despite all our warnings at that time, the Accelerated Train adventure, which was not in the railway literature, was the biggest train disaster in our country, but we also saw as a country how it was turned into disaster and science to run a train for show purposes.

In the trial process that started after the disaster, the responsibility of the accident was tried to be demolished, and the request for an investigation against the TCDD General Manager of the period was rejected by the Minister of Transportation of the time, although it was clearly stated in the expert reports that the orderers of the accelerated train were 4/8 defective.

The accelerated train disaster in Pamukova was mainly the result of the understanding that “I did it”, by blocking the ears of all criticisms contrary to reason and science, instead of solving the real problems of the neglected railway transportation until the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power.

None of the politicians or bureaucrats received any punishment in this accident, in which 41 citizens died, since Süleyman Karaman, the General Manager of TCDD at that time, and other related bureaucrats were not allowed to be tried.

Along with the political power that did not learn from the disaster in Pamukova, the Ministry of Transport and the TCDD bureaucrats continued to take the wrong steps, and paved the way for accidents that caused dozens of citizens to lose their lives, resulting in many accidents.

The main reason of train accidents both in Pamukova and after; policy and practices that endanger railway safety, rather than technical or other reasons.

Because;

• Pamukova, Tavsancil, Kutahya, Corlu, Ankara YHT accidents that have been experienced in the last 16 years during the AKP government period are more than the sum of the accidents that have occurred since the railway was established. TCDD, which has a very important place in the development of our country, has caused it to be mentioned as an institution that is used for political shows before the elections, where accidents occur, without merit and political staffing, rather than being an institution providing transportation service in public.
• Railways were considered only as Turkish Airlines, and thousands of kilometers of conventional lines were abandoned to their own destiny.
• After the implementations implemented under the name of the restructuring of the railways, TCDD was separated from each other as infrastructure and superstructure and structural integrity was impaired.
• The merit has been abandoned completely, the way to obtain a fair title has been closed, and it has been turned into an institution where the man rises.
• With the flexible and unregulated working conditions, the work done by the personnel working in a title has been increased and the responsibility of the personnel has been increased.
• The attention of the public has been translated into HST investments, and the very important land and immovables of the institution have been sold one-to-one and the development of railways has been narrowed in the future.
• Especially the recent political staffing and exile policy under the so-called in-house rotation policy significantly disrupted the internal business peace. This pressure, which is not related to the job on the employees, has been paved the way for a negative experience at any time.
• A lot of the road construction and renovation works have been started by the 3rd parties with many works previously carried out by TCDD, and the control of these works has been carried out by the personnel who came to the task with unassigned appointments.

Although TCDD administrators watch with anxiety that they have not learned the required lesson, it means that it is well known to everyone that 164 years of knowledge and experience, the culture of the railway, the practices and practices that are contrary to reason and science, should be well-known, and the practices that cause damage to privatization policies and railway management as soon as possible. By giving up, we state once again that a safe, modern, economic and public service should be provided.