Cape Town - Metrorail is nearing collapse and if it is unable to perform, Cape Town and its economy will be in trouble, the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry warned on Monday.
Limited services were available to commuters on the central service area and there were delays and cancellations on the northern line due to vandalism and arson last week.
Chamber president Janine Myburgh said emergency measures were needed to "save the system" that carried more people to work in Cape Town than any other form of public transport.
"We have a state of civic emergency on our hands and we must take tough and necessary measures before we lose the backbone of public transport in Cape Town," she said in a statement.
On Friday morning, a train was set alight and four carriages were razed in Kraaifontein. Later that day, three carriages were set alight at the Esplanade Station. Last weekend, two trains were set alight at Cape Town Station, resulting in the closure of platforms and delays.
Metrorail said its own protection services, police and other law enforcement agencies were on "high alert".
The City of Cape Town on Sunday said it had put additional MyCiTi buses on its N2 Express route between Mitchells Plain, Khayelitsha, and Cape Town to help Metrorail commuters.
Cape Town mayoral committee member for transport, Brett Herron, said illegal strikers’ sabotage of the rail service and long-standing issues with Metrorail's infrastructure, including defective signal systems and electrical malfunctions, had to be addressed urgently.
He expressed concerns about its long-term consequences for Cape Town’s economy and its effects on already congested roads as commuters were forced to make use of private vehicles or other road- based public transport.
Herron urged Metrorail's management to take charge of the "untenable" situation.
"The infrastructure may be old but I believe it can operate reliably if it is protected from vandalism and disruption. That must be our urgent priority."
Herron had asked the Golden Arrow bus service to provide additional buses to prevent commuters from being stranded or delayed. The company had agreed to supply as many additional buses as possible during the morning and afternoon peak hours on Monday.