Angry commuters ‘hijack’ train after delays

A mob of agitated commuters commandeered an entire passenger train in Durban on Wednesday night – forcing the driver to change his route.

The incident drew the attention of the police‚ with bemused officers called to respond to reports of a “hijacked” train which had left the station in Montclair in the south Durban basin.

The train had been bound for KwaMashu but the passengers‚ irked by delays on the line‚ coerced the train operator to head in the opposite direction to Umlazi.

Metrorail spokesman Zama Nomnganga told TimesLIVE that the train had not been hijacked‚ but rather forced to divert its route.

“There had been delays on the line and as it happens our commuters were agitated and forced the driver to head the wrong way‚” he said.

“They started with the guard on the platform and demanded that they be taken to the driver. It was then that they made their demands [to which] the driver acceded‚” he added.

He said that changing the train's direction and destination was dangerous.

“People mustn’t come with these ideas because they are not controllers and if this persists it could be dangerous. There could have been a collision if there was another train on that line‚” he added.

KwaZulu-Natal police confirmed that no case had been opened.