Africa-Press – Namibia. TRANSNAMIB passenger train was a welcome relief for hundreds of travellers who were stranded in Northern regions on Sunday.
People going back to their workplaces and learners travelling to their respective schools found it difficult to secure a place in the limited number of long distance busses that were available.
But there was a passenger train with 16 coaches that many people were unaware of.
It departed Windhoek on Friday and reached Ondangwa late Saturday before going through to the Oshikango border post.
Last year, TransNamib resumed its rail passenger service which was suspended nearly two years ago due to obsolete and insufficient locomotives.
However, it appears that many people are not yet aware of the passenger train service.
On Sunday, travellers started flocking to the train stations as soon as they got word that a passenger train was on its way from Oshikango.
“I am very busy now,” said taxi driver Thomas Uupindi, with a broad smile.
He was in a hurry transporting travellers from the bus terminal at Oluno to the Nehale Lya Mpingana Railway station.
Before long, there was a long queue of people paying for their train tickets.
“I arrived at the bus terminal yesterday and slept there. Only this morning was I made aware of the passenger train,” said Johannes Sheehama who was travelling with three other members of his family from the Oimbadalunga village in the Ohangwena Region to Omaruru.
Selma Timo who was travelling from Iindangungu to Okahandja, said that she was boarding the passenger train not only because it was the only mode of transport available, but also because it is the first time she was putting her feet on a train and that was something she looked forward.
Meanwhile, thousands of travellers are still stranded at bus terminals at Oshakati and Ondangwa.
With such a high demand, some bus operators have now increased the fare.
For example, instead of the normal N$380 for a trip between Oshakati and Windhoek, some are now demanding up to N$600 per passenger.
The Namibia Bus and Taxi Association (NABTA) has constantly warned against the illicit increase of prices, a warning that clearly fell on deaf ears.
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