Prasa becoming ‘uninsurable’ as Durban commuters set trains on fire
Train drivers were threatened with being burned alive after a power surge caused delays and had to be rescued; the cost of the attacks is estimated at nearly R10m
Train drivers in Durban were threatened with being burned alive after a power surge delayed commuter trains in the city on Wednesday night.Two coaches at the Berea and Durban Stations were torched by angry commuters — incensed by the delays. The collective cost of the attack is estimated at nearly R10m. Train drivers and other Passenger Rail Association of SA (Prasa) staff had to be rescued by police officers.Hundreds of coaches are vandalised by commuters annually‚ either by criminal elements or by crowds in response to delays. Prasa’s top management held a briefing at their regional head office on Thursday in response to the arson attacks.Prasa regional security head Rajen Harrispersad said an overhead cable had snapped on Wednesday‚ causing several platforms in their network to fail."We had very few platforms to channel trains and thus we had delays. Our staff came under serious attack and the commuters became aggressive. We had to call for back-up from other law enforcement agen...
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