57 people have been injured, of which 14 seriously, after two trains collided at Mamelodi, east of Pretoria, on Saturday evening.
Photo: Metrorail
Emergency teams were on site to treat the injured and transport others who needed further medical attention to hospitals.
Metrorail says a temping machine that was busy with maintenance collided with the new Metrorail train at Eerste Fabrieke Station.
"The temping machine rolled from Greenview back to Eerste Fabrieke station where the Metrorail train was stationery and carrying commuters on-board," spokesperson for Metrorail in Gauteng, Lillian Mofokeng, explained.
"The driver of the stationery train requested the 300 commuters on board to leave the train upon noticing the oncoming temping machine.
"The commuters refused to leave the train and instead pulled the passenger emergency alarm levers that stop the train from moving."
The train service between Pienaarspoort and Pretoria has been affected.
"The line has been closed to allow both Metrorail and Transnet technical teams to assess the damage", said Mofokeng.
"A board of inquiry will be instituted soon to begin investigating the main cause of the collission."
