Two trains were torched at Cape Town station in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Theo Layne told News24 that the fire department was called out at around 02:00 on Tuesday morning.
“Two trains were burnt on the platforms, and 10 coaches were damaged between the two trains,” Layne said.
“The exact cause of the blaze is still unknown and an investigation is under way.”
Layne said there were no injuries reported.
Clean-up operations would affect platforms 1 to 11, Metrorail said in a statement. A delay of between 40-60 minutes was expected on all lines.
Metrorail regional manager Richard Walker condemned the latest attack, labelling it ‘blatant’.
“This sets back our recovery programme by months and further depletes much-needed capacity for rail to meet customer demand. The latest loss brings the total number of carriages lost to fire this year to 20.”
Customers were also urged to make alternative transport arrangements until the service was full restored.
Last week, a train was set alight at Muizenberg station, News24 reported.
Three teenagers were arrested for starting the fire at Muizenberg train station. Three carriages were damaged in that incident.
Source: News24
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