Closure of Vereeniging Train Station leaves commuters stranded

VEREENIGING - The DA in Gauteng says the closure of the Vereeniging Train Station is a depressing reminder of the incompetence of Government and the lack of political will to serve the needs of the majority of South Africans. Constituency head for Emfuleni South, Dennis Ryder MP, said in a statement the closure comes as a result of poor financial, technical and operational management by PRASA and Transnet, but will have a direct impact on thousands of South African families reliant on affordable transport to get them to and from work. Ryder says with the ongoing de-industrialisation of the Vaal Area, exacerbated by local government failure in Emfuleni, more and more skilled and semi-skilled workers have come to rely on the trains. Passenger volumes in 2019 were reportedly at an all-time peak. PRASA’s failure to manage their assets during COVID 19 lockdowns led to large scale vandalism and theft, leaving commuters stranded. This has now had a seemingly permanent impact on the people of the Vaal, with approximately 80 staff from the Vereeniging Station and Depot now fearing for their livelihoods, and thousands of commuters now reliant on more expensive means of travel to get to work, further impacting their cost of living in an already high-inflation environment.

PHOTO: (DA Gauteng)