PRASA denounces social media sharing of fatal train surfing

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) warns youngsters to stop train surfing.

Earlier this year, a Warner Beach resident caught school children ‘surfing’ the Metrorail trains on camera on Monday, 23 January.

Train surfing, which is also known as train hopping or train hitching, is when people hitch a ride on the outside of a moving train, tram or another rail transport to avoid paying the fare.

The high school children caught in Peter Bond’s footage in January though, seemed to be doing it for fun or to impress their peers.

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“PRASA has noted the circulation on social media of videos depicting incidents of train surfing with great concern,” said PRASA senior manager of communications, Nana Zenani.

The first two videos, shared courtesy of Ground Up News, depicts youngsters riding on the roof of a moving train in the Western Cape, narrowly dodging 25 kilovolt lines, which carry 2,500 volts of electricity.

“Of most concern is the sharing of an unfortunate fatality as a consequence of train surfing which took place in 2015. PRASA appeals to all those sharing the unfortunate footage to respect the memory of the young man and not to glorify incidents of criminality,” said Zenani.

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“Metrorail and PRASA have over the years warned of the dangers of train surfing with young people risking their life and limb in the name of so-called fun.

PRASA’s policy clearly states those riding on the roof of the train are breaking the law and will be prosecuted. Passengers and communities are encouraged to report train surfers and potentially save a young life. These incidents form part of Metrorail’s operational challenges as they contribute to vandalism and, in the event of an unfortunate incident, contribute to unscheduled train delays.”