Metrorail reopened a limited service on the northern line between Eerste River and Bellville on Monday.

The service had been suspended since the start of the Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020 and the resulting vandalism to the railway lines.

“All the lines were closed because they were affected by vandalism that occurred nationwide and because of the lockdown. Almost all of the issues are relating to vandalism. The entire Prasa (Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa) network was vandalised during Covid. That is why now we are trying to reintroduce the services. It is not only in the Western Cape but nationwide,“ said Metrorail spokesperson Zino Mihi.

Commuters will now be able to take a connecting train from Bellville to Cape Town via Goodwood and Monte Vista, according to Ms Mihi.

The Eerste River train service would only be available on weekdays for now, she said.

“We will be running a limited service until we are able to introduce more trains. There are no train fare increases yet on the service, the old train fares will apply.

“The Eerste River line was one of the busiest corridors on the northern line, which is referred to as corridor-A due to the high commuter volumes,” she said.

This line also served as a feeder to the Strand and Stellenbosch lines.

Before the start of lockdown, thousands of commuters from Strand, Muldersvlei and Eerste River relied on the line to get to and from Cape Town.

“Plans are under way to repair the Strand line, followed by an introduction of the Strand line service,” Ms Mihi said.

The all-stations train will run from Bellville to Eerste River, stopping at Kuils River, Blackheath and Melton Rose.

The weekly schedule from Bellville to Eerste River starts at 4.25am and ends at 7.20pm. From Eerste River to Bellville, it starts at 5.10am and ends at 8.15pm.

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said, “While this much-needed train service is good news for the residents along this line and the economy of the Western Cape, I am, however, seriously concerned about the impact of load shedding in keeping the service running and that the service still needs to stop at a number of other stations before we can confidently say that the line is back up and fully running.”

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Metrorail reopens train service between Eerste River and Bellville