An influential transportation mogul and two former state officials were among the 21 people slapped with jail time on Tuesday over the ill-fated Argentina railway disaster which killed 51 people in 2012.

The Federal Criminal Court of Buenos Aires convicted the train driver Marco Cordoba to three years in prison while longer sentences were handed to the businessman who ran Trenes Buenos Aires and two former transport ministers.

Per FoxNews, TBA boss Claudio Cirigliano was sentenced to nine years in prison for fraudulent administration and culpable harm. Former state secretary Juan Pablo Schiavi will be serving eight years behind bars while his predecessor Ricardo Jaime will do six years.

Several state officials and transport entrepreneurs were also sentenced for crimes ranging from mismanagement to negligence.

In his sworn statement, Cordoba said the train's brakes suddenly malfunctioned, injuring 789 passengers and costing the lives of 52 people. However, further investigation showed other safety protocols were not carried out. This led the court to slap steeper punishments to the businessmen and state officials, who it said bore greater responsibility than the driver.

Relatives of the victims gathered outside the court to await the verdict. Many were satisfied with the court's decision, but a few believed the sentences were too low.

The disaster prompted former president Cristina Kirchner to launch a nationwide modernization program to upgrade Argentina's rail network, BBCNews reported.

Trenes Buenos Aires is the biggest rail system in South America, ferrying roughly four billion passengers per year. Train operations were mostly privatized in the 1990s to bolster investment in infrastructure.

Unfortunately, third-party companies were coaxed into signing contracts that hindered them from investing. They also had to make use of the little incentives given to them since they continued to receive income from state subsidies.

In other railway-related news, a derailed freight train leaked tens of thousands of litres of sulphuric acid in Julia Creek, Queensland. Investigators are currently doing tests around the crash site amid fears the spillage might contaminate nearby water.

TheGuardian noted that heavy rains and muddy terrain have delayed efforts to reach the wreckage, which was about 100 miles from the nearest thoroughfare. This forced rescuers to open new access points that allowed a team of experts to examine the toxic cargo.

"They have done some testing in local waterways and they haven't yet identified any contamination, which is good news," said Queensland environment minister Steven Miles.

None of the train's 26 wagons escaped unharmed. Police said the train leaked 819,000 litres of the highly corrosive acid, 31,500 litres spilled from one wagon alone.