Train burns in Mbekweni
2010-06-17
COMMUTERS were left stranded again on Monday evening when another Metro Rail train went up in flames. Two weeks ago, three commuters were slightly injured when a stampede occurred on the platform at Mbekweni Station, when the over-head power cables of an incoming freight train started to spark. But on Monday afternoon, as commuters were disembarking from a train at Mbekweni Station, they witnessed sparks on the roof of a train which was travelling in the direction of Cape Town. At 15:40 the high tension wires above the train had suffered an electrical power surge. This caused sparking which set two carriages alight and causing lesser damage to another three carriages. Passengers on board were safely evacuated and no injuries were reported. Emergency services were on the scene to contain the sparking and prevent further damage. The line was closed to traffic until after midnight while waiting for the owners Transnet Freight Rail to arrive on site. Their safety representative had to first declare the area safe before the train could be removed to a depot for analysis and assessment. Buses transported passengers between Paarl and Wellington until the end of service. Due to the circumstances of the incident delays were inevitable between the affected stations. A spokesperson for Metro Rail said, “it is as yet too early to confirm the cost of repairs, but previous estimates for similar damage amounted to R4m per carriage. The exact cause of the electrical power surge is still unknown and will be revealed in the internal investigation between ourselves and TFR under the auspices of our safety oversight authority, the Rail Safety Regulator.”
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