Metrorail faces complete collapse, says union federation

Hundreds of people are queued at Bellville taxi rank trying to make their way to Cape Town on Monday. Picture: Henk Kruger/African News Agency (ANA)

Hundreds of people are queued at Bellville taxi rank trying to make their way to Cape Town on Monday. Picture: Henk Kruger/African News Agency (ANA)

Published Dec 11, 2017

Share

Cape Town - Metrorail's decision to suspend services on its central line on Monday received mixed reactions. 

Chaos erupted after the passenger rail operator decided to suspend its services at Chris Hani, Kapteinsklip and Bishop Lavis. No train tickets were sold at some stations. 

Metrorail’s regional manager Richard Walker has confirmed that technical teams are doing repairs along with armed escorts because of fears that criminals could launch an attack on infrastructure.

“Our teams report from the site that they are being observed as they work,” Walker said. He also called on police and law enforcement agencies to support Metrorail's protection services.

“We are engaging with SAPS management on how to deal with the increasingly aggressive and destructive attacks on infrastructure,” he said. 

This followers weeks of vandalism, cable theft and the dismantling of infrastructure at Bontheuwel, Netreg and Nyanga where no service is possible. 

On the northern line, there were delays of more than an hour on Monday morning due to signalling problems. Commuters had to find alternate transport. 

“We regret that our commuters once again have to suffer as a result of selfish criminal agendas and will do our utmost to restore services (by Tuesday),” Walker said. 

The Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry said criminals had successfully managed to sabotage a vital train service that provided a transport lifeline for communities. 

“The time has come to get tough and ban the export of scrap copper and to treat metal theft as a serious crime,” Chamber president Janine Myburgh said. 

"Ultimately we are dealing with a major crime and that is the responsibility of the police. We must ask where are the police? What are they doing while the infrastructure of the country is being wrecked and stolen?"

The ANC said it was “concerned” about the abrupt suspension of services on the central line.

“The ANC however finds that a complete cancellation of trains is dishonest and unfair to residents who have given Metrorail great leeway and benefit of the doubt with regards to numerous problems that are of Metrorail's making which have negatively affected workers on a daily basis for the last few years,” provincial secretary Faiez Jacobs said. 

Jacobs said passengers were stuck in broken down trains due to poor maintenance resulting in them being vulnerable to muggings and assault on a daily basis. 

Trade union federation Cosatu said the decision to suspend services on the central line was unacceptable. 

“This is Metrorail giving up on the professional service they are obligated to do. But it is also a bigger indication that authorities are giving up on the pressures of gangsters and crime. This will lead to the complete collapse of the central and entire Metrorail service,” Western Cape chairperson Motlatsi Tsubane said.

Tsubane also called for the restoration of the service and the effective management of trains. 

Related Topics: