Arson attacks on trains at the Cape Town station on Saturday will cause delays to Metrorail’s service on Monday.
Five platforms at the station are out of commission while repairs are conducted after carriages were torched.
Delays of up 60 minutes are expected as trains wait in a holding pattern outside Cape Town Station to be allocated arrival and departure slots.
Regional manager Richard Walker said the deliberate destruction of thirty seven trains severely compromises the region’s ability to respond adequately to passenger demand.
“Technical teams worked around the clock to repair as much damaged infrastructure as possible in preparation for Monday morning’s peak service,” he said.
Walker condemned the acts of arson, saying there is no justification for destroying state assets and inconveniencing thousands of commuters.
“This type of sabotage robs commuters of a reliable, safe and convenient rail service and compromises Metrorail’s ability to prepare and support PRASA’s modernisation process,” he said.
The Western Cape region’s entire train fleet comprise of eighty nine train-sets to operate 696 trains every weekday, 360 trains on Saturdays and 225 trains on Sundays. Peak hours are already totally over-subscribed and the pool of five spare has been depleted. This region has limited ability over the short term to replace sets with mechanical problems.