Rail trip derailed by theft

The Shosholoza Meyl’s first long-distance trip in two years was derailed when the train was forced to stop in Wellington due to cable theft.

Passengers travelling from Johannesburg to Cape Town had to complete the rest of their trip by bus due to the theft of overhead cables in Wellington, about an hour and a half away from their destination.

In a post on social media platform X, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) said the train arrived in Wellington despite the operational and infrastructure challenges experienced.

Prasa says: “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.”

Prasa further reported that overhead wires were stolen between Kraaifontein and Muldersvlei, affecting the trip.

Unfortunately, commuters hoping to take the journey back to Johannesburg yesterday were informed that they will have to do it via bus.

On Sunday X (formerly Twitter) user @naanbreyani posted: “We were scheduled to leave at 10am with the train, me and my travel mates arrived at Cape Town station before 9am so that we could get all the baggage sorted out. Upon arrival, we get told, if you’re here to take the train you won’t be anymore. We’ll be taking the bus. There was cable theft.”

Prasa announced the resumption of its Shosholoza Meyl service earlier this month. The service resumes following its suspension in 2021 due to operational and network infrastructure issues.

The service is currently available between Johannesburg and Durban, and Johannesburg and Cape Town.

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