The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has described a hefty prison sentence handed down to a train arsonist in Cape Town as a major victory. Ricardo Khan was sentenced this week to 20 years behind bars for torching a Metrorail train carriage at Eerste River Station two years ago. Khan, who worked at the Eerste River taxi rank, was convicted on a count of damage to essential infrastructure. […]
LOCAL After nearly two years of bruising lockdowns which saw Gauteng's commuter rail network destroyed by thieves, Metrorail commuter train services continue their slow comeback. Trains from Park Station to Naledi in Soweto were the latest services to resume, with three travelling the route each way daily. This is a far cry from the almost 200 trains that ran between Park Station and Soweto in the 1980s. While the trains […]
Legal analyst and attorney, Raznae Narayansami, says government needs to ensure that the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) makes the safety and welfare of the public its priority in accordance with its constitutional mandate. The Constitutional Court has ruled in favour of a passenger who was seriously wounded after being attacked while on a Metrorail train. He was robbed and thrown out of a moving train, through an […]
A R1.4bn "mega project" has been presented to Khayelitsha community stakeholders to resuscitate its practically defunct rail service, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa said on Thursday. Newly appointed administrator Bongisizwe Mpondo and several of his technical team reported back to local leaders two weeks after an initial meeting, where he discussed a plan to restore the Cape Town's busiest line which has been closed since October due to […]
All stops are being pulled out to find those responsible for three arson attacks on trains in Cape Town this month, the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) board said on Sunday. "It is clear to us that this is the work of people who have placed themselves as enemies of Prasa, enemies of our commuters and enemies of the South African government," Prasa spokesperson Nana Zenani said. She said […]
Metrorail faces another setback after 11 carriages were left gutted in a devastating fire at the Cape Town railway station on Saturday afternoon. According to Metrorail, Cape Town station's platforms 15 and 16 will be closed until further notice. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined however, this is just one in a spate of train fires recently. In recent weeks, there have been at least four […]
As authorities investigate who is behind Saturday’s attack on a train at the Cape Town station, its believed the estimated cost of the damaged coaches is approximately R30 million. Just after 4pm on Saturday, two trains caught fire at Cape Town station. Whilst the reasons behind the fire are still sketchy, it is reported that one train arrived at the station, at platform 15, with one of the coaches already […]
Commuters on the Cape Flats are bearing the brunt of the nationwide bus strike, with thousands of people still waiting for transport to the CBD and other areas. A nationwide strike by bus drivers has inconvenienced an estimated 1.4 million commuters who are struggling to find other modes of transport to get to work and school. In Cape Town, drivers employed by thee MyCiti and Golden Arrow bus services have downed their […]
"Suburban trains are packed way beyond their capacity. The conditions are inhuman and much worse than I could possibly have imagined. That’s how the president of the Cape Chamber of Commerce and industry, Janine Myburgh, described her experience, after she and Councillor Brett Herron, the City Council's Mayoral Committee responsible for transport, boarded an early morning train at Kraaifontein station to gain first-hand account of what train commuters suffer every […]
VOC became the first Muslim radio station in South Africa when a special events license was granted to the station in Ramadan/January 1995. Subsequent temporary broadcast licenses were granted, permitting the station to broadcast for 24 hours.
