5 June 2012
Western Cape Northern Line Metro Rail commuters found themselves in a transport commotion last week. Police were alerted on Thursday morning shortly before 7am of a possible bomb between Parow and Tygerberg Stations.
As a safety precaution, both stations and the railway line between the two stations had to be evacuated and inspected. Some 20 trains, including two business expresses and a Worcester train were delayed between 28 to 60 minutes while police explosives experts swept the area. The train service started again at 8:25am, after the area was declared safe.
The police told GroundUp that someone phoned the police station in the morning, saying that a bomb had been planted. The police explained that they have to take these calls seriously because they could be true.
This was the second hoax call in less than a week. Regional Manager of Metrorail Western Cape, Mthuthuzeli Swartz, said, “We condemn the action in the strongest possible terms - any individual causing such mayhem must be dealt with severely.” Swartz said they hoax callers thrive on causing chaos and must be stopped. He asked for anyone with information on the culprit to contact the police. He explained that there is a R25,000 reward for information leading to a conviction and that the police will not reveal the names of people who wish to remain anonymous.