Hours to hell and back: A social epidemiology of railway injury in a South African city, 1890–1995

This paper describes fatal and non-fatal injury on the Cape Town metropolitan rail system between 1890 and the present day. This is examined from the perspective of the community, rail operators and authorities, in the light of the expansion of the rail system and the risk that exposure to sophisticated infrastructure has placed on the poor. Injury is discussed as a public health issue and historical data are juxtaposed against the current situation. The study identifies recurrent themes of limited safety enforcement by the rail operator, victim blaming and public concern.