City Press writes that for commuters who use the Gautrain and get SMS updates about disruptions and delays, it might look like the service has taken a knock. But Gautrain insists that its overall performance remains strong.

On Tuesday, passengers on the North-South line were stranded for more than an hour due to a track circuit problem. Kesagee Nayager, spokesperson for Gautrain, confirmed the technical issue that had led to significant delays. Commuters expressed their dissatisfaction on social media with the service. @TheGautrain posted: “Can you please match your prices with your services. Its been delays almost every second week in a row now, it is freezing cold, but your buses don't have working heaters. Haibo can you at least be considerate to your clients.” Despite the absence of load shedding, Gautrain has experienced significant disruptions in recent months, including two incidents in April. According to Nayager on 22 April, two technical problems occurred. Another incident occurred four days later on 26 April. Nayager emphasised that alternative transportation was always provided during incidents and technicians worked swiftly to resolve issues. Despite recent problems, she highlighted that Gautrain's overall performance remained strong. On 22 April, 11 out of 257 trains were delayed, with 95.7% of trains running on time. On 26 April, 18 out of 243 trains were delayed, with a 92.6% punctuality rate. For the entire month of April, 99.33% of trains operated on schedule.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sthembiso Lebuso at City Press (subscriber access only)

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