Metrorail in the Western Cape has implemented additional security interventions after the attempted theft and vandalism of an Eskom cable that feeds electricity to the main traction substation powering the running of trains.
This incident comes after technicians repaired the same line on Monday after criminals deliberately cut it during load shedding.
“The attempted theft and vandalism of the electrical infrastructure, on a line that has been successfully restored back to service while Metrorail works to restore the rest of the lines, points to blatant sabotage of Metrorail services, which we will not tolerate,” Western Cape Metrorail acting Regional Manager, Kaparo Molefi, said on Friday.
Metrorail will be engaging with Eskom and law enforcement to launch an investigation into the sabotage.
In the meantime, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) and Eskom are working around the clock to again repair the same 33Kv line after it was cut and left on the scene during peak service, affecting train services.
Trains travelling from Cape Town to Muizenberg had to be cancelled at Retreat Station due to a power supply failure at 6:30pm on Thursday.
In January, Metrorail successfully launched the full Southern Line service operations and introduced new trains to operate at peak times allowing more new trains to run on that line on 25 February 2022.
“The Southern Line service is our demonstration corridor of what we are bringing in the Western Cape. The sabotage of our rail infrastructure is jeopardising the hard work of returning the service to those who desperately need it. We are determined to return the rail services and we will not cower to criminals,” Molefi said. –SAnews.gov.za
