THE Gautrain again ground to a halt today – between Rosebank and Sandton – because of electrical problems. A bus service has been set up to ferry passengers between the two stations. Between cable theft, feeder bus drivers’ strikes, electrical problems and water seepage in the tunnels, this morning’s disruption is at least the 13th in three months. The R30.4 billion bullet train, mooted as “world class”, is being plagued by problems every few weeks.
And communications between the Gautrain, the media and public have also ground to a halt, as spokespeople are not answering phones to explain why. Several efforts by The Star this morning to determine the cause of the latest problem, how long the service would be down, and what was being done to correct it, were unsuccessful. A brief e-mail was received from Errol Braithwaite, spokesman for Bombela, the company operating the train.
“Due to an electrical power problem, Gautrain trains are not running between Sandton and Rosebank this morning – a replacement bus service has been provided. “Please expect minor train delays between Marlboro and Sandton. “All trains and buses are operating normally elsewhere on the system. “Gautrain engineers have isolated the cause of the problem and hope to restore full train operations imminently,” the statement read.
The Star tried to contact Braithwaite twice this morning for a more detailed explanation as to why there were continuous breakdowns despite repeated assurances that the service would continue without problems. However, his phone went unanswered. Nano Gasenewe, a former spokeswoman for Bombela, said that as of today she was no longer working for Gautrain, and referred all queries to Kelebogile Machaka, another spokeswoman for the company. When contacted for comment, Machaka said she was on maternity leave and would be back at the office only this afternoon. She said she knew nothing about today’s problem.
Attempts to get comment using the Bombela landline also proved fruitless. The person who answered Braithwaite’s line at the Linbro Park head office said Braithwaite was “probably on the system, frantically trying to find out what the problem was”. The breakdowns come amid numerous assurances by both the province and Gautrain operator Bombela that the trains would be fully operational at all times.
This was regardless of power supply problems because the train’s power would be sourced from three different stations. Another promise was that cable thieves would never be able to gain access to cables. Yet, twice in one week in September the train ground to a halt because cable thieves managed to make off with copper cables supplying the Gautrain.
Source: iol.co.za ; ANNA COX - November 1 2011
