Johannesburg – Mainline Passenger Service said on Monday it was experiencing major train service disruption as a result of Transnet Freight train derailment at Hertzberg in Bloemfontein that occurred at around 2am early Monday.
Mainline Passenger Service the long-distance passenger rail service is a subsidiary of Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa).
In a statement, Prasa spokeperson Lillian Mofokeng said all passenger trains to and from Eastern Cape, especially in Queenstown, East London and Port Elizabeth, would be affected and unable to pass the incident site.
"Management and technical teams are working around the clock to reroute trains via Kimberly to minimise further delays," Mofokeng said.
"The Transnet freight technicians are already dispatched to attend to the derailment and they anticipate that the recovery work will take approximately 10 hours."
Mofokeng said Prasa management on-board the trains would continue to offer all passengers full support to ease their plight.
"Prasa regrets that it is currently not possible to provide any alternative transport due to the fact that it is peak season for the bus industry and all resources are unavailable. Buses are being arranged only for the passengers stuck at Springfontein to Johannesburg," Mofokeng said.
"Prasa sincerely apologises to all its customers and their families for the inconvenience caused. Furthermore, we appeal to commuters to exercise patience while the technical teams are working around the clock in order to restore the service and ensure safe arrival to various destinations."