WATCH: Metrorail train set alight at Century City

At least three carriages were destroyed by the fire. Picture: Supplied/City of Cape Town

At least three carriages were destroyed by the fire. Picture: Supplied/City of Cape Town

Published Nov 20, 2017

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Cape Town - It was not a pleasant Monday for commuter rail operator Metrorail and a train fire and cable theft severely affected its services. 

At around lunchtime on Monday, three carriages were set alight just after the train pulled out of Century City station, en route to Cape Town. 

The cause of the fire was unclear. 

Video: Supplied/City of Cape Town

The City's Fire and Rescue Service's spokesperson Theo Layne said no injuries were reported. 

Picture: Supplied

"The City's Fire and Rescue Service responded to Century City railway station at about 12.15, where we've got three railway carriages alight. No injuries have been reported and the cause of the fire is undetermined at this stage," he said. 

City Fire and Rescue spokesperson Theo Layne

Earlier on Monday, rail services on the Central and Southern Lines were delayed for at least an hour each due to cable theft over the weekend. 

Picture: Supplied/Mantsadi Sepheka

Cabling was stolen and equipment damaged at Philippi and Khayelitsha.

This comes a week after cabling was stolen at Mutual, Woodstock and Woltemade stations, which also severely affected the service on the Central Line. 

"Metrorail already operates at reduced capacity due to old rolling stock and obsolete infrastructure – any additional incidents of vandalism has the real probability of bringing the system to its knees," regional manager Richard Walker said.

Picture: Supplied/City of Cape Town

"Despite daily occurrences of cable theft and/or vandalism and more than twenty arrests since July this year, no significant shift in crime patterns have been detected," he said.

Picture: Supplied/City of Cape Town

As a result of the train fire, the surrounding vegetation also caught alight, Layne said. 

City Fire and Rescue spokesperson Theo Layne

[email protected]

Cape Argus

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