Western Cape commuters should brace themselves for an adjusted train service especially during the peak periods.

Metrorail has given the undertaking that the changes which come into play on Monday will improve the service by reducing delays and ensure that trains are maintained according to their published time-tables. It also believes the new train numbers which are aligned to the capability of vandalised infrastructure will assist.

Metrorail says it has been testing the changes over the past week.

Metrorail’s Western Cape acting spokesperson Zino Mihi says the service improvements will include a roll-out of the Electrical Motor Units (EMUs) on the Southern and Cape Flats lines. Trains in the region will still stop in a certain pre-determined area as they will need to be manually authorised. A revised time-table will be distributed as of today. The sale of weeklies will also be introduced on October 10th.

In recent years the Cape’s railway network has been battered by among others arson attacks, the stripping of infrastructure and people constructing shacks on the tracks. The rail agency is still battling to get its Central line fully up and running.