Commuters stranded on train for days

Passengers on the Shosholoza Meyl train endured unflushable toilets, no running water, a lack of food and a heavy stench for days when they became stuck on the train from Sunday.

Speaking to TimesLIVE, Zak Benjamin and his ill mother boarded the train in Klerksdorp, located in the North West, to Cape Town on Sunday, 5 January, 2020. The train reportedly arrived three hours late, and made several stops along the way.

First, the train came to standstill in Kimberley for three hours, but nothing could prepare them for the next stop. The train stopped in the town of Orania for a long 67 hours.

‘There has been no communication from management. When they did communicate, they told us lies. Someone who wanted to remain anonymous said the locomotives were not made for pulling the number of carriages attached to the train,’ Benjamin said.

When TimesLIVE last spoke to Benjamin on Tuesday, 7 January, he was stuck in Prince Albert for 13 hours.

The train is now without water, and the toilets are overflowing. ‘Management told us new locomotives have arrived from Cape Town. Many people are travelling with their families. I am with my mother and the only reason we took the train is because she lost her husband two weeks ago and she has a lot of goods she took with her,’ he said. ‘A lot of people who are on this train are old and sick.’

According to Benjamin, the train passengers have run out of food. ‘This has been a total f**ck up,’ he said. ‘Some people jumped out of the train to hitchhike to Cape Town. People are extremely frustrated. There have been talks of violence and burning this train.’

According to the Shoholoza Meyl official Twitter account, their technical teams are working tirelessly to bring the passengers home.

We sincerely apologise for all the inconvenience that these challenges have caused to our customers at large and their loved ones.

Our technical teams are working tirelessly to resolve these challenges to ensure that we live up to our promise to give you a Pleasant Experience.

— ShosholozaMeyl Train (@Shosholoza_Meyl) January 7, 2020

‘The train departed on time from Johannesburg and expected to arrive on Monday, 06 January 2020, at 19h35, in Cape Town. Alternative transport arrived in Laingsburg at 12h57 to shuttle customers to their respective destinations,” it said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the train is expected to arrive in Cape Town on Tuesday, 07 January 2020, at 23h01. We have noted all the concerns and challenges that our customers have been and still facing regarding the Shosholoza Meyl service delivery, especially the issue of reliability.’

Image: Shosholoza Meyl

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