Blue Train’s Set 1 to continue operations

Train Set 1 of the Blue Train will continue operating and servicing customers in the coming months, Transnet has announced.

This follows the derailment incident affecting Train Set 2, which occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The derailment, which occurred on a secluded line, does not affect other train movements, spokesperson Ayanda Shezi in a statement on Monday.

“A revised train schedule has been communicated to customers and the tourism market at large. An investigation is underway into the cause of the derailment. Any further updates will be provided in due course,” said Shezi.

Investigations ongoing

Transnet said it was investigating the cause of the derailment and will apply remedial action where necessary.

“At this stage, although Blue Train services are impacted, there will be no cancellations. There is no impact on TFR’s freight operations,” said Transnet in a statement on Sunday.

Transnet has been fighting what appears to be a losing battle on its rail infrastructure against cable thieves. Copper remains a highly valued commodity on illicit scrap metal markets whose reach extends as far as Southeast Asia.

There’s been a sharp spike in cable theft in the past three years, and attacks on rail infrastructure increased significantly during the Covid-19 lockdown.

TFR reportedly lost 354,227 meters of overhead cables, resulting in an average of 21 trains being cancelled per day between April 2019 and January 2020.

The Blue Train is a business unit of the TFR and has been in existence since 1946.

Travellers can experience some of Southern Africa’s magnificent landscapes and landmarks in the lap of luxury.

But the luxury rail liner took a beating during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Blue Train had to suspend operations from December 2020 due to the second wave of COVID-19.

The Blue Train only resumed full operations in March this year.

READ MORE: Blue train derailed at Union Station

Additional reporting by Narissa Subramoney