Summary：South Africa's Cape Town has been hard hit by railway arson in recent years despite an intensified crackdown,...

South Africa's Cape Town has been hard hit by railway arson in recent years despite an intensified crackdown, Cape Town Mayor Dan Plato said on Tuesday.

More than 40 carriages have been burnt in 10 incidents of arson attacks since 2017, a move that has severely impacted the state of public transport in Cape Town, Plato said.

Cape Town Central Station has been the target of eight separate arson attacks alone since July 2018, according to Plato.

In the latest incident on Sunday, eight Metrorail carriages at the Cape Town Central Station were set alight, days after President Cyril Ramaphosa unveil a fleet of new trains at the station.

Police have arrested a suspect linked to the latest arson attack.

Plato welcomed the arrest of the suspect, saying this will be the first step towards a successful prosecution so that it will set an example to those who destroy trains.

Despite the many incidents of railway arson over the past two years, authorities have had very limited success in arresting those responsible for the crippling attacks on the backbone of the public transport system, Plato said.

It has sent the wrong message to would-be perpetrators being that there are no consequences for the destruction of the rail network, he said.

"I hope that the law will take its course and that the appropriate punishment will be meted out," said the mayor. "If there are more suspects linked to this act, we hope they are caught and prosecuted as a matter of urgency."

Incidents of arson and destruction of public infrastructure in general are serious criminal acts and have a substantial negative impact on the economy, said Plato.

Those responsible for the management of the rail network must also account to the Cape Town public for the ongoing inaction to protect this essential infrastructure, he added.

Other cities have also experienced attacks on trains and other public transportation facilities.

The rise in train attacks has prompted Ramaphosa to direct Minister of Transport Blade Nzimande to urgently resolve the challenges plaguing South Africa's commuter rail network, particularly in Cape Town.

To make things worse, commuter trains have also been targeted by local gangs. In September last year, a group of armed men attacked commuters on a Metrorail train in Cape Town, leaving one dead and eight others injured.

The South African government has earmarked 172 billion rand (about 12 billion U.S. dollars) for a modernization program meant to eliminate challenges occasioned by aged infrastructure, in what is believed to be one of the largest urban rail modernization programs in the world.