Cape Town – The attack on a train at the Koeberg Station in Maitland, Cape Town on Tuesday will cause disruptions to a number of commuters.
The extent of the damage is not yet known and the gutted carriage will be taken to the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) depot to be assessed before a full investigation can take place.
"Koeberg Station staff reported yet another train on fire at shortly after 9am this morning," Metrorail's Riana Scott said.
"Preliminary reports confirm no injuries.
"The swift reaction of response teams extinguished the fire quickly, containing the damage to one carriage.
"The incident prompted revised operations for the duration of the recovery to assist commuters:
1. Kapteinsklip trains re-routed via Esplanade;
2. Northern line trains re-routed via Ysterplaat/Mutual;
3. Muldersvlei trains #3413 and #3418 are cancelled; and
4. Cape Flats trains #0530, #0531 and #0528 have additional running times of 60+minutes.
"Platforms 1, 3 and 4 at Koeberg Station are operational; platform 2 will be assessed for damage after the train is removed. Mop-up crews will move in as soon as the SAPS and forensic teams gave concluded their on-site investigation.
"The train will be taken to a depot for PRASA’s loss adjusters to assess the extent of the damage and the cost of replacing the burnt passenger carriage.
"Commuters are requested to be observant and vigilant at all times and to report any suspicious activity or smell of accelerants immediately to station or security staff.
"Anyone with any information or visual material of any train fire is requested to submit it to SAPS to stop the attacks on essential state infrastructure. All reports are investigated in confidence and a reward of up to R25 000 is payable for information securing a successful conviction," she said.