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Africa: Subsaharan
Angry SA passengers burn trains
2005-11-10
France seems to making progress in its campaign to be a moral authority in the world.
Rail passengers angry at service delays torched at least 26 train carriages near Johannesburg on Wednesday evening. Carriages were burnt at three different locations south of the city, causing 200m rand ($30m) worth of damage. The arson followed service delays reportedly caused by technical faults. A shortage of trains has now caused services on one route to be suspended.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the stationmaster. The trains that were delayed previously are now delayed a lot longer."
On Tuesday, passengers burnt four coaches after service delays apparently caused by the theft of electric cables.

Thandi Mlangeni, spokewoman for rail company Metrorail, said a signal fault at Midway in southern Johannesburg had brought trains to a halt. "Passengers started getting off the train and burning it," she said.

The disruption had a knock-on effect, leading to delays in the Kliptown and Nancefield regions of Soweto, where passengers also then began to torch trains.

Wednesday's arson left Metrorail with no trains to run from Midway, in southern Johannesburg, to the town of Vereeniging, Ms Mlangeni said. Commuters have been asked to use alternative means of transport. The Star newspaper reports that minibus taxi drivers were charging up to four times the regular fare to commuters stranded on Wednesday evening.

Metrorail trains provide an important link for commuters between central Johannesburg, Soweto, and other residential areas further south. Each train typically carries about 1,000 passengers.
Posted by:phil_b

#3  ALWAYS make sure the trains run on time!
Posted by: Benito M.   2005-11-10 13:39  

#2  "angry at service delays torched train carriages...Service suspended...asked to use alternative means of transport...taxi drivers were charging up to four times the regular fare."
RFSP strike again!
Posted by: DepotGuy   2005-11-10 10:24  

#1  Thats exactly what I do when the METRO lags. In the US a similar occurrence would result in a gov't funding, emergency bus plan for the ridership, immediately followed by a raving, fully televised (CNN) demands from some communist caucus for Congressional Investigations of the rail company discrimination. Last week they got away with vandalizing the Blue Train. They are headlong into the abyss it would appear. Back to leather Cadillacs and foot trails for all.
Posted by: Besoeker   2005-11-10 09:08  

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