Prasa red-faced as two men commandeer train for 12km joy ride

The Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) is investigating after two men allegedly stole an empty commuter train and took it for a joy ride.

The men stole the train from a depot in Umkomaas, south of Durban, and drove it nearly 12km to Umgababa on Friday night.

It was reported that the train had been staged - temporarily stopped - when two men made their way into the driver cab. The circumstances of how they got access into the train, and how they managed to commandeer it and drive it for 12km without incident has left the authorities baffled and red-faced.

Prasa spokesperson Zama Nomnganga said that the incident was "sensitive" and under internal investigation.

“That was a high-risk activity, as anything could have happened to them. It was irresponsible of them. This is not a PlayStation. They could have had a head-on collision and they could have killed people, or they could have derailed the train,” said Nomnganga.

KwaZulu-Natal police said they were not investigating as the matter had not been reported to them.