Vandalism has caused disruption for train commuters after some Metrorail services have been placed on hold in the Western Cape. The estimated cost of the vandalism is set to be a steep R1 million.
On Sunday, as numerous Capetonians enjoyed a glorious summers’ day and the excitement of the Cape Town Cycle Tour, opportunists decided to execute an attempt of theft and the result of vandalism on public transport in False Bay.
While the Protection Services of the Metrorail were able to stop the theft of an 11-kilovolt line, as News24 confirms, the suspects still caused massive damage.
According to the Metrorail spokesperson, Nana Zenani, they threw the cut 11-kilovolt line onto a live electric wire, resulting in damage to four-mast poles.
It’s been dubbed an “emergency situation”, and as a result train services on the southern line that extends between Retreat and Fish Hoek, are no longer operational.
The closure of the False Bay section of the rail service, is predicted to last for about a week.
“Due to equipment challenges caused by vandalism at False Bay, the line is declared unsafe between Fish Hoek and Steenberg stations for operations,” MetroRail Western Cape stated.
Train users can expect various cancellations, delays and reroutings to occur along the southern line.
To stay up to date, you can look at Metrorail W/Cape’s Twitter.
For specific information, you can also type in the #SouthernLineCT on Twitter.
This criminal event comes after various arrests and convictions were made in the last two months – regarding crimes toward train services. According to Metrorail, the suspects faced arrest for a myriad of crimes, including robbery, malicious damage to property, drug trafficking and breaking and entering.
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