News24 reports that Metrorail in the Western Cape has warned that, unless the crime and social problems that are spilling into its network are dealt with, all of its measures to replace carriages and build fences along railway lines will come to nothing.
Spokesperson Riana Scott said in response to a query on why the train was so crowded: "The loss of 101 train carriages (due to arson and vandalism), with an estimated replacement value of R312m, is the main contributor to the region operating with 60% of its fleet, punctuality dropping by more than 20%, and cancellations soaring." The company sounded the alarm earlier in August when it said it had to run short trains with fewer carriages as a result of the relentless damage to its fleets in certain areas. "However, unless the spiralling crime rate/gangsterism in these areas is not addressed decisively, any effort by us to fund further improvements will be in vain – we operate trains, we cannot be held solely responsible for reigning in unbridled crime spilling onto our network," said Scott, who added: “We, as a rail operator, cannot continue to accommodate the failure of society to deal with issues such as housing, electricity, employment, vagrancy and crime."
- Read this report by Jenni Evans in full at News24
- Read too, Cape Town train commuters risk death to get to work, at News24
- And also, No quick fix for Cape Town’s trains, commuters told, at GroundUp
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page