Metrorail introduces limited train service on Northern Line
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Metrorail’s provincial acting regional manager said the introduction of the Northern Line aims to distribute the service evenly. Picture: Courtney Africa/African News Agency(ANA)
Cape Town – Metrorail introduced a limited train service on its Northern Line from Cape Town to Kraaifontein on Monday.
The service, consisting of 36 train trips a day, will stop at the Cape Town, Ysterplaat, Century City, Monte Vista, Avondale, Oosterzee, Bellville, Stikland, Brackenfell, Eikefontein and Kraaifontein stations.
Metrorail’s provincial acting regional manager, Raymond Maseko, said the introduction of the Northern Line after seven months of closure due to the pandemic aimed to distribute the service evenly in response to changing patterns.
Maseko said train schedules had historically focused on peak period ridership patterns, but travel patterns were changing as employers explored flexible work schedules due to Covid-19 and new ways of doing things.
The weekday (Monday - Friday) service starts at 5:50am and ends at 5:50pm from Kraaifontein (up/inbound) and 5:45am to 6pm from Cape Town (down/inbound).
Maseko said trains would depart every 30 minutes during peak hours on weekdays and hourly during off-peak periods (8:30am - 3:30pm) from platforms 21-23 at Cape Town Station and platform 1 at Bellville station.
Unite Behind organiser Zukie Vuka said commuters had had to take unsafe and expensive options to commute between home and work. They urgently needed the service.
Vuka said she hoped the service would be scaled up quickly. However, they were worried Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) had seemingly become worse over the last six months.
“Its infrastructure has been stripped, governance remains unstable and operationally, commuters are still unsafe on Prasa trains, the service remains inefficient, information dissemination remains pathetic,” Vuka said.
Cape Argus