Publications
Partners
Parts of the railway in Mamelodi in Pretoria have been turned into trading spaces as the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) has failed to keep a promise to clean up the stations.
Last August, we reported on the dilapidated state of train stations in Pretoria. At the time Prasa said train stations would functional by end of next month and stations would be refurbished by December this year.
But during a recent visit to Pienaarspoort train station, we found dozens of informal traders selling goods right next to the tracks. Motorists and pedestrians, including young children from nearby informal settlements, frequently crossed the tracks which have no safety booms or signals.
READ: Back on track: Prasa pays City of Tshwane almost R16m to restore services
Most of the informal traders said they waited for the train’s whistle to sound to move their goods and clear from the tracks.
“I have been selling goods here for years. We are used to selling next to the railway line because this is where many people pass through to and from the station,” said fruit seller Oupa Jiyane.
Train services through Mamelodi recently resumed after shutting down for almost two years during the Covid-19 lockdown. During this period, Metrorail’s infrastructure was severely damaged by theft and vandalism.
Currently, there are only two trains running on the Mamelodi route – one scheduled for 5am and another at 3.30pm. The train no longer stops in Sunnyside, Arcadia and Hatfield, which has left hundreds of commuters frustrated and feeling excluded as they previously relied on the train service.
READ: Still no trains on Mabopane-Pretoria line after Prasa misses another deadline
Inside the Pienaarspoort station was very dirty and most of the toilets were broken or unusable. The public benches were rusted and broken.
Stations in Mears, Rissik, Walker, Devinish and Loftus also remain badly vandalised and appear not to be in operation.
Attempts to get a comment were unsuccessful as the calls to the Prasa spokesperson, Andiswa Makanda, went unanswered. – GroundUp
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
