Don't forget to pay the electric bill...

Robin Summerhill

Transport Scholar
Hero Member

Posts: 1145

Don't forget to pay the electric bill...

« on: March 02, 2020, 18:35:38 »

This could have gone in The Wider Picture Overseas bu this is as good a place as any.

Last Thursday, 27th February, the Cape Metro that runs suburban trains in the Western Cape, South Africa, ground to a halt.

The state electricity provider, Eskom, pulled the plug because they hadn't paid their electric bill...

And down here, forget replacemenet bus services.

"Scott said due to the prevailing situation, "all stations were closed this afternoon. No single/return tickets are being sold. Trains stuck in section will be taken to depots and commuters on trains will be assisted to the nearest station."

That in essence means being walked to the nearest station (if the passengers hadn't done that already as that what they usually do in the case of train failures), and then they're on their own.

Makes the UK^▸ rail network look quite good, really...

Full story here:

https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/news/thousands-of-western-cape-metrorail-commuters-left-stranded-after-eskom-cuts-power-43609074


	Logged

Timmer

Global Moderator
Hero Member

Posts: 6628

Re: Don't forget to pay the electric bill...

« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2020, 21:02:18 »

A couple of my colleagues are from SA and power cuts are quite common in SA nowadays.


	Logged

Robin Summerhill

Transport Scholar
Hero Member

Posts: 1145

Re: Don't forget to pay the electric bill...

« Reply #2 on: March 03, 2020, 18:56:18 »

Quote from: Timmer on March 02, 2020, 21:02:18

A couple of my colleagues are from SA and power cuts are quite common in SA nowadays.

Very true. It goes by the eumphamism of "load shedding" and is the resultof the state-owned electricity provider being unable to meet its commitments through 25 years worth of underinvestmentand minimal maintemance.

But as the article I linked to points out, the railway is a priority customer. They don't get knocked off for two hours at a time like the normal population do down here quite regularly.

"Word on the street" has it that this was a case of "call my bluff" that failed dismally. The railways thought that Eskom wouldn't have the nerve to cut them off and cause travel chaos to thousands. Well now they know different...


	Logged

Bmblbzzz

Transport Scholar
Hero Member

Posts: 4256

Re: Don't forget to pay the electric bill...

« Reply #3 on: March 03, 2020, 19:18:45 »

Interesting that the railways are a priority customer. When I was in Poland – which has a very reliable electricity system – in the late 90s/early 00s there were a couple of cases when the (then state-run) railways were deliberately cut off because they owed the generator so much in unpaid bills.


	Logged

Waiting at Pilning for the midnight sleeper to Prague.

broadgage

Transport Scholar
Hero Member

Posts: 5680

Re: Don't forget to pay the electric bill...

« Reply #4 on: March 03, 2020, 19:55:51 »

In most countries, including the UK^▸ , electric railways are "priority customers" and wont normally be cut off due to a shortage of generating capacity.
This however does NOT give immunity against being cut off for non payment.


	Logged

A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU^▸ is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.

Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

Pages: [1]

« previous next »