WATCH: Rail service from Durban to oThongathi resumes after 2-year closure due to theft and vandalism
|Published
DURBAN – The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) in KwaZulu-Natal announced the resumption of the train service from Durban to oThongathi from Monday (August 15).
Prasa said this comes after the service was shut down for two years as a result of theft and vandalism.
In a statement on Friday, Prasa said it had resumed service in some of the corridors, with ongoing risk assessments undertaken to ensure the safety of employees and of the commuters at large.
“We are pleased to announce the resumption of train service on the North Coast line (today). This comes after the line was closed for more than two years due to severe theft and vandalism which sabotaged the rail network (and stopped it) operating.”
The agency said it had made available diesel locomotives in order to return the service while repair work on the line continued.
Prasa also noted that the service which currently runs between Durban and Isipingo will now be extended to Umbogintwini, as from Monday.
“Prasa will keep you informed on the progress of the service recovery in all corridors.”
- Service between Dalbridge and Tongaat: The first trains will only run between Tongaat to Dalbridge and Dalbridge to Tongaat. The morning peak will start at 4.09am and the afternoon peak will start at 17.00pm.
- Prasa noted that trains will not stop at Nyaninga in the service between Dalbridge and Tongaat.
- The service running from Durban to Umbogintwini will not stop at Pelgrim.
"Commuters are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the new timetable that will be shared on all our platforms.”
