Cape Town - The death of a train commuter - after jumping out of a fast-moving train while fleeing alleged robbers - between Lakeside and False Bay demonstrates Metrorail’s inability to protect its commuters, says commuter watchdog Public Transport Voice (PTV).
Police say four men were in the train coach when they were approached by three suspects - one of them armed with a knife - on Saturday.
“A 19-year-old man jumped out of a moving train and was fatally injured. No one has been arrested so far,” said police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana.
The incident comes less than a week after a security guard was shot dead on
Tuesday evening at Chris Hani station, Khayelitsha.
That incident led Metrorail to suspend its services to the Central Line.
On Sunday, PTV spokesperson Delton Ndongeni said they were shocked over the death of the commuter.
“This is a very unfortunate incident, as was the shooting of the security guard. We have been calling for the protection of commuters for a very long time. Even the union representing train drivers downed tools, citing lack of security.
“For example, look at Prasa’s (Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa’s) protection service; we do not know what they are doing. We only see them when they check tickets, when they want to reach their targets. But, when they are called to protect commuters, they do not come to the party,” said Ndongeni.
He said the organisation is scheduled to meet Metrorail’s regional manager, Richard Walker, to discuss their concerns about the safety of commuters.
“There needs to be a strong action by Metrorail We want to monitor what actions they will take in light of these incidents. We also want to monitor how practical is their deployment of security guards at train stations,” he said.
Metrorail spokesperson Riana Scott said the Rapid Rail Police Unit would help plan deployment of resources.
“Metrorail has not been informed of the final outcome of the police investigation into the incident. Preliminary reports indicate that the body of a young man was found on the tracks between Lakeside and False Bay.”
“The police requested that train traffic be halted for the duration of their on-site investigation (from about 3.30pm to 5.04pm). Metrorail responded operationally to terminate trains at Steenberg, with a limited bus service operating between Muizenberg and Steenberg,” she said.