Vandalism derails planned Metrorail train service
18 January 2018
Cape Town - The planned reintroduction of the train service on the Central line in Cape Town has been postponed due to a train derailment, Metrorail has announced.
A "progressive reintroduction" of trains on a frequency basis was expected at Chris Hani, Kapteinsklip and Bishop Lavis stations in Cape Town on Thursday.
However, Metrorail announced that a train derailment due to vandalism put those plans on hold.
"#Central LineCT UPDATE: Planned re-introduction of Central line service postponed due to a train derailment between Heideveld and Netreg. Commuters are advised to make use of own alternative transport until further notice," Metrorail tweeted on Thursday morning.
The company also indicated that repairs of a vandalised sub-station which supplied power to trains between Heideveld and Netreg would delay service on the Central line.
The destruction and damage of two substations - at Nyanga and Bonteheuwel - earlier this month, resulted in insufficient traction power being available to operate trains on the Central line.
'Rail safety requirements'
A lengthy service suspension ensued.
Metrorail regional manager Richard Walker on Wednesday night confirmed that the required engineering, safety and logistics assessments have been completed.
"While technical teams were out at first light [on Wednesday] morning to do repairs, the operations team was working on the reintroduction of trains on a frequency-based schedule, initially from [Thursday]," he said.
"We remain committed to comply with rail safety requirements to ensure that trains operate as safe and reliable as possible under the current circumstances."
According to Metrorail, central services remained most affected due to a high rate of vandalism in the Bonteheuwel-Netreg-Nyanga area.
