One suspect arrested after Blue Train coach set alight, two more on the run

One suspect has been arrested while two others are on the run after a coach of the luxurious Blue Train was set alight on Tuesday morning.

According to Transnet spokesperson Ayanda Shezi, the train was in for repairs at the company’s engineering facility in Koedoespoort.

“Three people were seen fleeing the scene. One person was apprehended by Transnet security personnel and handed over to the police. Two other people are still at large,” said Shezi in a statement on Tuesday.

Transnet is investigating the cause of the fire.

The coach had been taken to Koedoespoort for repairs after being involved in a derailment last November.

In November last year, 19 empty coaches of one of the Blue Trains derailed at the Union Station Loop in Germiston.

“This was a staged (unmanned) train with no passengers on board. No injuries were reported on-site,” said Transnet in a statement.

“At this stage, although Blue Train services are impacted, there will be no cancellations. There is no impact on TFR’s freight operations.”

According to Shezi on Tuesday, Transnet has almost completed the investigation into the cause of the November derailment, and as such, today’s incident will not impact the investigations.

“Any further information will be provided in due course.”

Transnet has been fighting what appears to be a losing battle on its rail infrastructure against cable thieves. Copper remains a highly valued commodity on illicit scrap metal markets whose reach extends as far as Southeast Asia.

There’s been a sharp spike in cable theft in the past three years, and attacks on rail infrastructure increased significantly during the Covid-19 lockdown.  

TFR reportedly lost 354,227 meters of overhead cables, resulting in an average of 21 trains being cancelled per day between April 2019 and January 2020.

The Blue Train is a business unit of the TFR and has been in existence since 1946.

Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde. Additional reporting by Narissa Subramoney