Trains back on the rails in Mamelodi, says Prasa
Commuter trains have been reinstated in Mamelodi as of this morning during peak hours, including the Pienaarspoort-Pretoria corridor.
Prasa spokesperson Nana Zenani said the morning peak services in Mamelodi had been suspended due to an incident in 2016 in which trains were vandalised and drivers assaulted.
Among other incidents. a female driver was stripped naked and assaulted while security guards were also harassed. As a result, services using new trains had to be suspended, and commuters continued using the old “grey and yellow” trains.
“After doing our own research and investigation, we have realised that there is still a need for morning peak services in Pienaarspoort; hence the reinstatement,” said Zenani.
“But because we work in a regulated industry, we can’t just wake up and decided to reinstall services. We had to re-apply to the Rail Safety Regulator to operate the new trains along the Pretoria-Pienaarspoort corridor.”
The morning peak starts at 4am and ends at around 7am. The deployment of the new trains, also known as the “people’s train”, is a testament to the success of the minister’s War Room initiative, which focuses on service recovery and safety management and aims to accelerate capital programme implementation,” said Prasa acting CEO Dr Nkosinathi Sishi.
Commuters would experience the full benefit of the new trains, Sishi added.
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