Transport and Public Works
With regard to the train line between Bellville and Wellington towards Worcester belonging to Transnet Freight Rail:
Whether his Department has been informed of when the services running from Worcester to Cape Town, of which the Gouda, Hermon and Saron communities make use of, will be restored and be fully operational; if so, what are the relevant details?
Metrorail and Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) were requested to provide information, and at the time of writing, only TFR had responded.
The Monte Vista, Wellington, and Malmesbury lines which serve important freight and intercity services are owned by TFR, and Metrorail’s commuter services share these tracks with Transnet.
TFR have reported that vandalism and theft of the Overhead Traction Equipment (OHTE) are rampant along these sections of track, and incidents of cable theft, are reported daily. At present, 10km of cable have been reported stolen between Wellington and Salbar. The current estimate for the resumption of service is two months. The time estimate for the required repair works is directly dependant on the rate of vandalism and theft, i.e. should more theft occur in the two-month period, it would further delay the works.
