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- Regional services on all train lines were suspended on Wednesday, leaving thousands of commuters stranded.
- The train services were affected by a faulty power supply.
- Commuters say more needs to be done to ensure a consistent train service.
Cape Town train commuters were left in limbo after train services in the Western Cape were suspended due to faulty power supply, leaving thousands stranded.
On Wednesday morning, scores of commuters flooded the local minibus ranks waiting for transport to get them to their respective places of work and school.
Metrorail said in a statement that its regional service had been "badly impacted [on Wednesday] morning due to a faulty Eskom power supply".
"Due to this fault, services on all the lines have been suspended until further notice. The technical teams, both from Prasa and Eskom, have been on the ground since the early hours of [Wednesday] this morning. They have diagnosed the fault and are proceeding with the repairs."
Metrorail appealed to customers to be patient while they tried to remedy the situation.
Retail workers Shantell Dorian and Sergio Gedult said they usually took the Lansdowne train to get into the CBD every morning, but had been left "shocked" when fellow commuters also waiting for trains told them there were none available.
Dorian said:
"Had I known, I would've made alternative arrangements. Now a person must give out more money for travelling and its not even payday yet."
Gedult said it was yet another reason why government must "do something about this problem".
"This is a typical example of yet another Eskom f***p. To have no trains running because of a fault is really not conducive for anyone," he said.
"To stop all trains from driving and not issuing some sort of communication prior to this inconvenience is really uncalled for. Surely something could've been put in place to prevent this from happening."
Commuter Zhivago Anderson said he was dreading going back home after his shift.
He said:
Shannon September said it was a "hassle" to find a last-minute alternative to get to university, and had to scrape together funds which she had not budgeted for.
"It affects your budget and, as a student, it is more affordable travelling by train. The last-minute alternative transportation makes a dent in your pocket and puts you at risk of crime. Not knowing the routes to the destination makes for an uncomfortable experience.
