Metrorail trains running despite hiccups
On Monday, Metrorail reopened a rehabilitated line. on Tuesday, commuters were left stranded. Despite the hiccups, Metrorail is now running to provide the cheapest mode of transport available.
Metrorail services are running despite some hiccups earlier this week.
Three Metrorail lines in Tshwane were not operational on Tuesday, September 27, leaving thousands of commuters stranded.
Metrorail said the lines did not have electricity because its “delayed” payment to Eskom had caused an power cut, according to Metrorail, operated by passenger rail agency of SA (Prasa).
The line from Pretoria to Pienaarspoort reopened on Monday, September 26 following rehabilitation.
The reopening was part of a series of “recovered” corridors of the so-called “people’s train” that had seen two others – from Naledi to Johannesburg and Leralla to Elandsfontein – undergo rehabilitation and modernisation work.
The corridors had been closed in May 2022 for rehabilitation work as part of a R2.7-billion effort to recover services on the country’s most used corridors.
Prasa was hoping the rehabilitation work would allow the service to run more efficiently and introduce electrical locomotives as part of modernisation.
Commuters were relieved that the line was reopened as the added transport costs were eating into their pockets because the rail is the cheapest way to travel.
The trip from Metrorail Pretoria to Pienaarspoort will cost R6.50 for the shortest distance and R11.50 for the longest while one the newly reopened line between Pretoria and Pienaarspoort costs R7.50.
The fares have not changed since July 2014 when Rekord reported Prasa as saying to determine fares, it looked at socio-economic factors such as affordability, rising costs and inflation to ensure that train commuters were not worse off .
Metrorail said only only offered single-trip tickets on the line as week and month tickets were not available since the line did not operate on weekends.
A similar distance – from Pienaarspoort to Pretoria via Denneboom – by taxi would cost about R35, R150 by Uber while Gautrain trip, for a similar distance, approximately from Hatfield to Centurion cost about R30 to R40.
The train from Pretoria to Pienaarspoort does not stop in Queenswood, Eersterus, Waltloo and Greenview since those stations were “vandalised”, said Metrorail.
The Mabopane and Saulsville trains are also operational.
ALSO READ: Metrorail services suspended due to “delayed” Eskom payment
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