Commuters at Athlone train station forced to cross railway line due to flooded subway

CAPE TOWN - At the Athlone train station, commuters have been forced to cross the tracks because the subway's been flooded for a week.
 
EWN has seen some work being conducted at the site, but it's still unclear what exactly causes the problem.

A local parent said that his children travelled to school by train and he was concerned because it's unsafe.
 
"And then we have to go over the railway line with my kids, and for me, it's very dangerous and in the afternoon also I must go fetch them. I can't let them come alone. The kids have to get off the platform, come over the railway and get on again and there where they get on its stones only packed there."

A local businessman and parent said that crime was now also on the rise because of the flooded subway.

"The gangsters, they know the subway is flooded and now they sit there, no one can see them, they're under the subway, they’re doing what they want to do, no one is going, no police, they think the subway is closed, they can’t go down there so it’s a hideout now."

A woman who works at a pharmacy in the area said that sales had dropped because the issue affected travelling customers, especially the elderly.

"It will affect us because most of our customers come from the areas around, not only here, from Nyanga and Langa and Gugulethu where they need to travel."

Ward councillor Rashid Adams said they had tried to contact the Passenger Rail Agency, but had yet to hear from them.
 
"I reported the matter because the city has a system where we can report flooded subways which I've done and I've also spoken to one of the regional managers at PRASA, informing them and there’s another councilor in the area that’s also logged complaints regarding this flooded subway and nobody seems to be responding to us."

EWN has reached out to PRASA for comment on how the matter will be dealt with and we are still awaiting their reply.