Prasa promises armed guards on Metrorail central line

Security is to be beefed up on the central line. Picture: David Ritchie/ANA Pictures

Security is to be beefed up on the central line. Picture: David Ritchie/ANA Pictures

Published Jul 24, 2017

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Cape Town - Metrorail commuters may soon feel a little safer after the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) promised to adhere to the demand of the United National Transport Union (Untu) to deploy armed guards on the notorious crime-ridden central line.

Prasa has also promised to improve its contingency management in the Cape Metrorail operations control centre. This is part of Prasa’s turnaround strategy, presented to labour at the Prasa Bargaining Forum by Prasa acting chief group executive Lindikhaya Zide.

The strategy includes the involvement of the SAPS on trains and an improvement of communication to commuters by sending them SMSes.

Managers will remain in the control centre until the last train, to prioritise repairs, security responses, service continuity and communication to commuters.

Steve Harris, general-secretary of Untu, welcomed the turnaround strategy, but said: “This is not the first time Prasa has promised to deploy armed guards to protect its employees working on the central line. Richard Walker, regional manager of Metrorail in the Western Cape, made the same promise in January, but up to now nothing materialised.

“Untu is continuing with its application in the Western Cape High Court for a court order to force Prasa to deploy armed guards.”

According to Prasa, 2 081 (46%) of Prasa’s train coaches across the country are out of service; 375 of these were vandalised.

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Cape Argus

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