Gautrain passengers left high and dry by power failure

Issued by Janho Engelbrecht MPL – DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Roads and Transport
08 Nov 2019 in Press Statements

Hundreds of Gautrain passengers have been left stranded at Midrand station following a power failure.

Gautrain management announced at 7am this morning that there will be no trains between Midrand and Park Stations and no trains from Sandton to OR Tambo.

It is unacceptable that commuters using the Gautrain were only informed 20 minutes after the power failure that there would be a limited Gautrain service.

Only one shuttle service was offered from Midrand to Sandton.

Commuters have also been asked to make alternate arrangements to get work and as yet no timeline has been given as to when the Gautrain will be fully operational again.

Not only have commuters been inconvenienced but they are also arriving late to work which has a negative impact on the economy.

Many commuters use the Gautrain as it is more reliable than Metrorail.

I will be tabling follow up questions to the MEC for Roads and Transport, Jacob Mamabolo to ascertain exactly what the reason is for today’s power outage, why the Gautrain does not have a backup power supply and why commuters were not informed immediately that the Gautrain would be operating on a limited service.

We urge the Gautrain management to communicate timeously with passengers when such incidents occur, so that they are able to then make a decision on how they will be travelling to their different destinations.