Durban - Train commuters living north of the city will be able to breathe a sigh of relief as the train service will be up and running from Monday, next week.
This was announced by KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Mxolisi Kaunda, today.
Kaunda received a briefing this morning from the management of both rail parastatals which confirmed that the repairs on the line which resulted in the suspensions of trains, will be completed by tomorrow.
Kaunda praised the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) and Transnet for speeding up repairs.
This, Kaunda said, will pave way for the reinstatement of train operations on the corridor which includes areas such as Phoenix, Verulam, Tongaat and Stanger.
He lauded PRASA and Transnet for working around the clock to ensure that the lines are fixed as a matter of urgency.
“PRASA decided to suspend trains on the line because it was not safe for commuters and employees due to cable theft and aging infrastructure which affected time travelled by commuters. This threatened the lives of train drivers as trains were not arriving on time and causing commuters to be agitated,” the MEC said.
Kaunda urged residents to report those who vandalise train infrastructure to Prasa and police.
“As a caring government, PRASA took this drastic step to suspend trains because we wanted to ensure that commuters are safe and improve travel times,” said Kaunda.
He said regular follow up meetings will be convened between police, Prasa and Transnet to ensure that train operations are not disrupted in province.