CAPE TOWN - Cape Flats workers depending on trains to get to work had a bad start in January as the Central Line remains inoperable. This has obliged the regular passengers to revise their transport budgets.
Regular train commuters are more likely to purchase a monthly Metrorail tickets, as it is cheaper compared to buying a weekly or a daily return ticket. Metrorail advised commuters in possession of valid monthly and weekly tickets to utilise the Golden Arrow buses only at off-peak times, while the line is suspended.
This has caused havoc and chaos at Golden Arrow bus terminuses and lengthy hard to manage taxi rank queues. Traffic congestion at peak-times becomes a mess.
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On January 16, 2018, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) and the labour union which represents a majoring of workers at Prasa - United National Transport Union (Untu) were engaged in talks and signed an agreement on safety of their employees.
After this agreement, the labour union announced that their members are ready to commence their duties following Central Line's trains suspension due to a security officer that was shot dead at Khayelitsha train station on January 9, 2018.
The South African Transport Workers Union (Satawu) lauded the newly appointed Prasa's acting group CEO, Cromet Molope and the acting CEO of Prasa Rail, Mthuthuzeli Swartz for their intervention on the matter.
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Trains on this line remain suspended due to continued vandalism. Metrorail authorities said they are working day and night to make sure that the route is back to operation.
Metrorail's spokesperson, Riana Scott has informed Business Report that they will be in a good position to comment on financial loss caused by the Centra line's suspension at the end of January 2018.
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