1 331 train delays in 7 days, says Metrorail

THERE were 1 331 train delays over seven days, Metrorail spokeswoman Riana Scott said.

Of 704 trains a day, between 68 and 81 percent were on time. She said there are 4 102 scheduled trips a week.

In April, the Cape Times reported that there were 985 delays in one week.

Yesterday, commuters were left stranded at a number of train stations due to delays, with some interruptions stretching over two hours.

“Some trains are delayed as a direct result of an incident, while residual delays occur until the congestion is cleared – much like vehicle traffic after an incident on a freeway,” Scott said.

There were 35 delays yesterday, varying between nine and 134 minutes, after a train’s overhead electrical wires snagged at around 7am and affected the area between Southfield and Heathfield.

“Repairs took five hours; the line was re-opened to train traffic by 12.20pm,” she said.

She added that a suicide had been reported before 8am at Mandalay Station, delaying 11 trains for between six and 31 minutes.

“As with any fatality, it becomes a police incident. The scene was returned to us and services reinstated at 12.30pm,” she said.

Cape Chamber of Commerce President Janine Myburgh said Metrorail continued to deal with outdated infrastructure.

“We can understand their challenges. That is why we are asking government to assist with funding for upgrades,” she said.

“We are spiralling downward. It will impact negatively on all sectors of the economy. People don’t know when they are getting to work and employers don’t know whether their staff are coming in. We would hope that most employers are still having to pay staff,” she said.

Tamsen Saunders, who uses a train to get to work in the CBD daily, said the number of delays had increased this year.

“It was worse over the past year. I would say twice a week the train would be on time, the rest of the week they are late. And we are not informed of what’s happening. So, we just wait on the station,” she said.

Saunders said even when commuters arrived at the station early, they were not assured they would get a train to work on time. Yesterday, she arrived at the station around 7.30am, but was forced to get a lift to work with a friend an hour later.

Saunders said she would consider using alternative public transport.

“We understand customers’ frustrations with service interruptions,” Scott said.

Preventative measures included moving cables underground where possible, or building steel cages around them with sturdy locks were being considered.

However, ageing infrastructure was a component the service continued to battle and that changing that infrastructure would take time, she said.

“We regret the inconvenience and assure (commuters) that operational arrangements during disruptions are always made in the interest of customer safety,” she said.