Johannesburg - Metrorail trains travelling from Pretoria to Joburg came to a halt twice this week - each time for about 30 minutes - allegedly because there was insufficient power to run them.
Some commuters threatened to set the trains alight if the delays continued with no communication from Metrorail staff on board.
Metrorail insisted this week Eskom’s load shedding would not affect rail services.
Metrorail spokesperson Lillian Mofokeng could not confirm if Wednesday’s incident was related to load shedding and referred the matter to other officials.
The company stated that it depended on Eskom to provide heavy current to move trains.
“Metrorail trains operate on a heavy current 3KV off a direct Eskom feed. Metrorail has Eskom’s commitment that this heavy current electricity supply for trains will only be cut as a measure of last resort,” read a statement.
It said this week that station and signal power supply in municipal areas operate off a light current municipal power supply and may be affected by load shedding.
Economist Mike Schussler said was unacceptable that Metrorail should rely so heavily on Eskom that has “proved to be failing. It’s obvious that if they continue relying on Eskom, they will eventually face massive challenges”. He added that “55 million people a month” used trains in South Africa.
“To put lives in hands of Eskom is simply unacceptable. These are the poorest people in South Africa.”
Professor Jan Havenga, an energy economics expert at Stellenbosch University, said about 90% of trains in South Africa relied on electricity.
Hilton Trollip, an economist at University of Cape Town, said South Africa should have started advancing alternative sources of energy to ensure sustainability.
“Most of the world is moving out of coal. It is simply out of fashion. In South Africa, it’s less expensive to build wind or solar energy systems.
“At this rate building a new coal power station will be unaffordable.”
Eskom’s energy generation division has been underperforming for years.
“They will have to expose what are the root causes of problems in that division.
“It’s either the department is occupied by people who are completely clueless or maybe the staff is demoralised.”
Should Eskom fail to pay its debts, South Africa would face the risk of being downgraded, he warned. “This will deepen problems for South Africa. In the long run, we will not be able to borrow.”
Schussler echoed the Trollip’s call for the rollout of renewable energy, but noted it would take time.
“In the meantime, we should be using diesel to bring certainty to train services. They carry an important work force.”