By: Staff Reporter
Commuters in Saulsville and Pretoria will have to find alternative ways to travel as Metrorail has announced that it will be suspending services for the remainder of the month.
The train operator will temporarily suspend trains running between Pretoria and Saulsville stations from Saturday, 16 October 2021.
“This is due to the rehabilitation of the rail infrastructure in and around the Pretoria Station complex as part of the Mabopane Recovery Programme. Therefore, commuters travelling on the Saulsville line are notified that the last train trip on the Saulsville- Pretoria line will be on Friday, 15 October 2021, at 18:45 pm,” said
Metrorail Gauteng Provincial Manager, Lillian Mofokeng.
She added that the nature of this essential work that must be undertaken between Mitchell Station and Pretoria necessitates the temporary suspension of the train service and closure of the line for safety reasons.
“The work will involve the replacement of old OHTE with the latest cables. Trains running between Saulsville and Pretoria are using the overhead traction power, and in this regard, it will be impossible to continue running the service for the duration of the programme until the end of October 2021. When the programme is completed, Metrorail will bring world-class rail facilities and services that will translate to safe train movements with improved travelling times,” Mofokeng.
She apologised to commuters for the inconvenience and maintained that the results would be worth it once they were done with the project.
“Commuters are therefore encouraged to make their own alternative transport arrangements for the duration of the mega construction. The date to resume the train service will be announced in due course. Metrorail would like to thank all commuters from the affected corridors for their patience and understanding during the construction phase,” she said.
