The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has confirmed that the Durban to Cato Ridge line is suspended following a side collision between one of their trains and a Transnet Freight train between Hammarsdale and KwaTandaza in KwaZulu-Natal.
The incident reportedly happened on Thursday, 9 May.
PRASA SUSPENDS DURBAN TO CATO RIDGE LINE
Prasa said the commuter train was travelling from Durban to Cato Ridge on the New Mainline corridor when the goods train side-collided with the commuter train, causing two commuter train cars to derail.
The incident caused damage to an overhead cable mast and a portion of the track.
Fortunately, no injuries have been reported, and the security personnel onboard the train and commuter train crew have been evaluated.
Prasa spokesperson Andiswa Makanda said while the cause of the collision has yet to be determined, an investigation is underway to determine the cause.
She said the Prasa KZN team is on-site to re-rail the affected coaches, and infrastructure repairs will follow.
“We will communicate the resumption of the service in due course. PRASA sincerely apologises for the inconvenience and the disruption caused to all our commuters. We will continue to provide updates on the restoration of services as more information becomes available,” she added.
NOT THE FIRST COLLISION
This was not the first time Prasa and Transnet trains have collided.
In 2020, luxury travel service Premier Classe (operated by Prasa) saw one of their trains collide with a Transnet goods locomotive between Roodepoort and Horizon Station in the west of Johannesburg .
The passenger train was a service between Cape Town and Johannesburg and the carriage had departed the Mother City.
Approaching its final destination, the Premier Classe train encountered a collision with the freight vehicle. The train derailed, and four passengers received emergency medical treatment. Sadly, one of the patients succumbed to their injuries.
