Rail commuters attack ticket office‚ torch train and cars

Police are engaged in a tense stand-off with hundreds of angry train commuters who torched a passenger coach and four cars in Umlazi on Friday morning.

Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane said the late arrival of a train set in motion a violent chain of events.

“More than 1‚000 commuters at Umlazi railway station became angry due to late arrival of trains and they damaged the ticket office‚ set alight four cars and damaged a motor-train coach‚ causing extensive damage to property‚” he said.

“Public Order Policing unit members and metro police have been summoned and they are monitoring the situation. It is still tense‚ but police are monitoring‚” said Zwane.