Cape Town - A man was killed when he fell from a moving train at Platform 18 at Cape Town station on Tuesday, while thousands of commuters were late for work due to serious delays along the city’s railway lines.
The man, who has not yet been identified, fell under the train at about 7.30am on Tuesday, said Metrorail spokeswoman Riana Scott.
Officers from the police station at Platform 1, rushed to the scene and paramedics arrived soon after but the man had already died.
The scene of the accident was cordoned off by police with tape, with only investigators and Metrorail officials being allowed near. Curious commuters were kept away.
Only the victim’s upper body was visible from the platform. He was wearing a blue and grey jacket. By 10.30am, a mortuary van had arrived to remove the body.
Continued train cancellations and delays, combined with the scramble to buy monthly passes, resulted in long queues at Wynberg station on Tuesday morning.
Ticket stations throughout the city were unusually busy on Tuesday, the first of the month, as commuters renewed their monthly tickets.
Platforms 11 to 16 at Cape Town station are still out of operation due to what Metrorail describe as “infrastructural damage”.
Engineers and workmen have been repairing tracks and overhead cables after a train derailed outside station a little over a week ago.
Metrorail’s Twitter feed announced that a number of trains that use the Central Line, which runs via Wynberg to Cape Town, were cancelled early on Tuesday morning.
Confusion reigned as electrical display boards malfunctioned, leading some commuters to believe that all trains on the Central Line had been cancelled.
There were also delays on the Northern and Southern Lines, due to speed restrictions and faulty tracks, respectively.
Spokeswoman Scott said, weather permitting, platforms 11 to 16 would be reopened on Wednesday.
“Due to the recent infrastructural damage resulting in the temporary closure of platforms 11, seven trains that would normally use these platforms now turn around at Esplanade,” she said.
“Commuters should transfer to trains that operate to Cape Town station. The rationale being to alleviate overcrowding from further (origin) stations.
“Customers and employers (should) consult our passenger information channels for regular updates.”
Cape Argus