Passengers travelling from Johannesburg to Cape Town on the inaugural Shosholoza Meyl long-distance trip in two years were compelled to finish the remainder of their journey by bus due to the theft of overhead cables in Wellington, an hour and a half away from their intended destination.
Also read: Prasa resumes Shosholoza Meyl between JHB and Cape Town
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The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa’s (Prasa) Mainline Passenger Services (MLPS) division resumed the long-distance train service after a two-year hiatus.
Prasa acknowledged the operational and infrastructure challenges in a social media post on platform X.
[JHB-CPT] The train arrived in Wellington despite operational and infrastructure challenges. The journey will be completed by bus due to theft of overhead wire cables. Despite these challenges, we remain steadfast in our commitment to revive the long-distance service. pic.twitter.com/8ptl9E6gWc
— PRASA Group (@PRASA_Group) December 8, 2023
Despite these issues, Prasa reported that the train successfully reached Wellington on Friday morning. However, due to the theft of overhead wires between Kraaifontein and Muldersvlei just after midnight, affecting the Wellington metro service, the journey had to be temporarily halted.
Prasa expressed its commitment to revitalising its long-distance services and pledged to collaborate with Transnet to develop effective strategies against cable theft. The intercity rail operation, suspended in 2021, is now being reinstated, facilitating travel between Gauteng, Durban and Cape Town.
At the start of the week, the organisation acknowledged encountering various obstacles, notably concerning infrastructure quality and shortage of locomotives.
Despite issues that might lead to delays and in certain instances, even cancellations, contingency plans have been implemented for its primary passenger services on the mainline, Prasa remains resolute in its commitment to providing a dependable, secure and comfortable long-distance train experience.
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Also read:
Travellers grateful for PRASA’s resumption of long-distance train services
Picture: Prasa Group