Richard Buttress, Mitchell’s Plain
I am most disgusted at the appalling condition of the Newlands railway station subway.
In the centre of the subway is a water overflow that gives off a terrible stench of sewage.
In an effort to improve walking in the subway, someone elevated the centre by placing used Vibracrete poles and half bricks to create a kind of “walkway”.
My wife and I are in our late 70s, and it is extremely difficult, challenging and dangerous to negotiate this makeshift “apparatus” at our age.
The subway was clear of water/sewage at 2pm on Friday February 17, when my wife and I walked to the cricket stadium to watch the T20 Women’s tournament. When we returned at about 9pm, the subway was ankle deep with filthy water. We had no option but to cross since our car was parked at the breweries section of the railway line.
We did not reach our car unscathed since our shoes and socks were waterlogged with this sewer water and we needed to use antiseptic on them. Our shoes were ruined and we had to get rid of them.
What was supposed to be an enjoyable outing was marred by this unsavoury incident.
What a health hazard. This is “the City that works for you” and a country “that has a good story to tell”.
• Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa spokesperson Zinobulali Mihi responds:
Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention.
Our subways are equipped with a wet well and pump with the purpose of draining the water that accumulates due to the high water table in the area.
The ongoing scheduled electrical load shedding results in power supply outages to the pump and this can lead to flooding.
We understand the frustration and inconvenience this has caused and we would like to assure you that we are attending to it. Our team is working on alternative power-supply solutions that will enable the pump to run even at times of load shedding, as this will prevent any further flooding in the subway.
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