Pathetic service by PRASA

Today I decided to try out the Metrorail train from Century City Station to Cape Town. I arrived at Century City Station at 07h00. The ticket office could not sell me a ticket due to loadshedding and I was told to purchase a ticket at my destination in town. Secondly, they were unable to tell me what time the next train to train would be. We just waited and eventually boarded the Shozoloza Meyl train at 07h30 to Cape Town. At Cape Town Station the ticket inspector delayed us further because he was waiting for his colleague to bring him a ticket machine.

The return trip from Cape Town at 17h10 was a bigger nightmare. The information desk could not tell me the train times and said I must wait for announcements to be made. I checked on my phone online at got a time table that indicated a time of 17h10 from CapeTown. We still did not know from which platform the train would depart. Several confused passengers were standing around on the platform. We then tried to listen to some barely audible announcements, and eventually made out the train only departs from platform 22 at 17h30. This older yellow & grey train was in bad condition with many of the inside door handles ****** off. As we reached Century City Station, the train doors would not open. We made our way trough to the next carriage, but the train pulled away, forcing us to get off the train at Monte Vista Station and wait for 45 minutes for another train back to Century City. Once again no announcements at all.

During this nightmare train journey I also witnessed the shocking state of the vandalized state of once functional Kentemade and Acacia Park train stations, now sadly fallen into ruins.

My wish this train service could be restored to what it was. This service is in a sad state. We need reliable public rail transport.