Cape Town - There’s a light at the end of the tunnel for Metrorail Western Cape as services between Fish Hoek and Simon’s Town stations are set to resume on Wednesday.
This comes after Metrorail had undertaken a series of repair works which included fallen mast poles at Glencairn as a result of weather conditions and natural corrosion.
In a statement, Metrorail said the resumption of the service meant that all stations beyond Retreat station would be fully operational from Cape Town to Simon’s Town as the end station, a total of 29 stations.
Linda Thobelang, who commutes to work from Langa to Sunny Cove by taking a different train at Pinelands station which goes to Retreat station, said she was relieved that the services were resuming, as the delays and halt on services put a strain on her finances.
“It has been costly to travel to work since the trains have not been functional. I had to find other means of travelling to work and that all took a big chunk of my monthly budget.
“I was determined not to leave my job because I knew how tough it was to get another job elsewhere, so I had to make sacrifices, all in the name of transport.”
“I feel like more still needs to be done from the side of Prasa (the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa) for the trains to be fully functional and efficient. I’ve been travelling with the train for a long period and this has been the worst time travelling with trains,” said Thobelang.
Acting Metrorail spokesperson Nana Zenani said Metrorail would operate under strict speed restriction as certain measures were being taken into account.
“Along with the repairs, Metrorail will operate both the yellow and grey trains at peak and the new trains during off-peak service as per the Rail Safety Regulator. Metrorail will also operate under strict speed restriction as additional repairs will continue, including the management of sand blowing onto the tracks and damaging critical equipment on the ground.
“This means customers must plan their departure along adjusted delays until the rail repairs and maintenance are completed.
“In addition, Metrorail will be implementing additional repair works on the area which may see temporary closures to fix sand issues which are endemic to the area,” said Zenani.
Weekend Argus