Trains were still being disrupted as a result of heavy rainfall last Tuesday, the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) said in a statement on Wednesday.
Prasa Chief Executive Officer Mosenngwa Mofi said their old infrastructure cannot cope with severe weather conditions.
“Operational staffs are doing their best to move the trains.
“During manual authorisation, trains move slowly,” he said.
Mofi said he have also emphasised safety to his team as the system is now dependent on people.
“We call upon our commuters to understand and allow us time to recover the network infrastructure,” he said.
Prasa, which operates Metrorail, said the rain had damaged its signals, electrical overhead wires, and perway (bridges and platforms).
The perway and rail track had been washed away in the Vereeniging corridor, rendering it extremely difficult to run the service.
Prasa said that, in the interests of passenger safety, Metrorail had introduced an alternative train movement schedule, but that it took time and was complex.
It said its ability to communicate with commuters in the Soweto precinct had been affected by dysfunctional MTN lines, and that the recovery of the lines would take time.
Prasa appealed to commuters to stay calm.
