Cape Town
Wednesday 02 February 2011
TEMPORARY WITHDRAWAL OF FOURTEEN TRAIN-SETS FOR MAINTENANCE
Environmental factors in conjunction with normal wear and tear may have contributed to fourteen (14) out of a total of 85 train-sets available in the Western Cape having to be withdrawn from service temporarily.
Recurring problems on certain train-sets has forced Metrorail to completely withdraw the problematic sets from service for emergency repairs. Engineers are conducting technical investigations to establish whether extra-ordinarily blustery winds and excessively high temperatures may have contributed to panto hook-ups, leading to the earlier-than-anticipated depletion of stock levels.
Maintenance crews will continue to working around the clock to fix the broken trains and stock replenishment have been. The focus will be to repair trains as fast as possible to enable them to be returned to service. Metrorail expects that all the trains will be back in service within two weeks.
A spate of recent vandalism has scuppered Metrorail's service provision. Rail clips, multi-core signal cables, track circuits, apparatus cases, copper bond, cabling in train roofs, jumper cables between carriages, signal heads (lights) and connector cables, strip point machine motors and cabling are most sought-after. The majority of items stolen are unique to the rail industry and not readily available in the open market.
Metrorail has appealed to scrap dealers to not only decline, but to report the offer of such items if approached. It is almost certain that such items have been removed illegally. Official and lawful disposal of scrap will be accompanied by a certificate of origin and confirmation that it was sold legitimately.
The rail operator has appealed to commuters and communities adjacent rail lines to be vigilant and to report vandalism. The public can support efforts to keep the train service reliable by reporting incidences and suspicious activity anonymously to:
§ SAPS Crime Line 08600 10111; or
§ Crime tip-offs sms 32211;
Due to this abnormal situation, Metrorail had to review train set allocation. Some sets have been moved to assist in areas with serious service gaps due to cancellations. At the same time Metrorail is working hard implementing a preventative maintenance program on the entire fleet to ensure that sets in active service do not breakdown in the course of their operation due to these elements of the weather.
The reduction in capacity will result in significantly over-subscribed peak hours and commuters are advised not to board over-full trains. They are strongly discouraged from traveling in over-full trains, keeping train doors open in transit and traveling between carriages.
Trains are expected to be out of service for a maximum period of 10 working days but will be immediately returned to service if repaired sooner.
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"Train" trip up Hex River Railway Pass - Part 1by kloopieful732 views
this freakin ridiculous can't metrorail see theres not enough trains...
AshRainbird 9 months ago