Metrorail services suspended due to “delayed” Eskom payment
Just a day after the service reopened its Pretoria-Pienaarspoort line, the service announced that three lines would be affected.
Train service from Mabopane to Pretoria has been suspended due to what operation, Metrorail Gauteng said was “delayed” payment to Eskom.
Metrorail Gauteng is the local operator of the passenger rail agency of SA (Prasa) has been grappling Eskom power cuts for non-payment.
Saulsville and Pienaarspoort lines to Pretoria were also affected, but Metrorail announced that a “train shuttle service” would be available for these lines and a full train schedule would be introduced for the afternoon peak period.
Metrorail said that the lines would be affected by power outages until Prasa and Eskom management teams were able to resolve the matter.
The operator encouraged commuters to make alternative transport arrangements.
A day before, Metrorail had reopened the Pienaarspoort to Pretoria line it had closed in May for rehabilitation work as part of a R2.7-billion effort to revamp the country’s most used corridors.
Metrorail was hoping the work would enable it to operate the line more efficiently and introduce electrical units as part of its modernisation programme.
However reports have shown that that Metrorail income and the number of passengers are declining.
Prasa has previously been in constant trouble over irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
In 2020/21 financial year, it recorded more than R29-billion in irregular expenditure in its annual report.
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