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The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa(PRASA) has apologised after the long-distance service from Johannesburg to Cape Town on Friday was unexpectedly halted due to theft of overhead cables.
On Wednesday, the train travelling from Johannesburg to Cape Town departed from Park Station for its 30-hour journey to the Western Cape.
However, the journey was unexpectedly halted at Wellington Station between Kaalfontein and Muldersvlei.
The agency announced the resumption of long-distance train services on the Shosholoza Meyl between Joburg and Cape Town/Durban after a two-year hiatus.
The suspension of train services in 2020 and 2021 was due to Prasa facing several operational challenges stemming from dilapidated infrastructure and crime.
Many of the stations and rail lines were vandalised or stolen during the Covid-19 pandemic which led to Prasa having to ferry passengers by bus from one stop to the next, completely defeating its purpose.
“We are acutely aware of the inconvenience suffered by our passengers. In response, we activated our contingency plan, and promptly arranged buses to cover the remaining seventy kilometres to Cape Town.
“This incident, though beyond our direct control, underscores the pressing challenge of copper wire theft affecting our services.
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“We apologize for the disruption and assure you that we are taking robust measures with our partners to safeguard our infrastructure and minimize such unpredictable disruptions in the future,” said Prasa spokesperson Andiswa Makanda.
Meanwhile, state-owned freight logistics firm Transnet called on the government to urgently crack down on criminals stealing railway cables – saying the thefts are disrupting service and severely damaging the economy.