Cape Town - A crucial artery for thousands of commuters has been reopened with the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) reintroducing a limited train service on the Central Line.
But initial glitches might see commuters stuck or stranded on the line during their restored commute.
The reinstatement of the Central Line comes after its closure in 2019 due to theft and vandalism and the recovery work of the corridor, which was further hampered by illegal occupations on the rail network during the level 5 lockdown.
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, accompanied by Mobility MEC Daylin Mitchell, mobility Mayco member Rob Quintas and the Prasa Board and management, on Tuesday conducted the service’s first trial run, easing-in the service set to carry commuters from Cape Town to Langa via Pinelands and Langa to Bellville via Sarepta.
In 2020, during his State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa marked the corridor, along with the Mabopane line in Tshwane, as a priority line essential for the recovery of commuter rail service.
Following his address, the Ministry of Transport said it set aside R1.4 billion to recover the rail service.
Commenting on the progress, Mbalula said that he was pleased that Prasa had made progress within the timeline given.
He said: “This project has created more than 600 employment opportunities to date, and Prasa has spent almost R500 million on the recovery of this corridor.
“On this oversight inspection, we have noted good progress in restoring commuter rail services and rehabilitating and upgrading rail infrastructure.”
Mbalula also commented on Prasa’s plans to safeguard the rail infrastructure, saying that they would increase the number of security personnel on the ground.
Prasa Western Cape currently has a total fleet of 30 old train sets complemented by 13 new Isitimela Sabantu trains.
Currently, two old train sets are operational on the Central Line between Langa and Cape Town. However, three train sets are to be utilised for the line moving forward.
Mitchell said: “Restoring the rail service is a top priority because it is critical to the economy. However, we remain deeply concerned about the state of the rail system, specifically in the Cape Metro area, given its virtual collapse.”
Social activist Lorenzo Davids said: “I think that we are going in the right direction. To see the improvements is encouraging. However, the one downside to this is that it could have been done a lot quicker.”
Meanwhile, the other aspect of recovering the rail service on the Central corridor is still in the works.
However, human settlements Mayco member Malusi Booi says the relocation of illegal settlements along the railway line, led by the Housing Development Agency (HDA), is at an advanced stage.
The HDA has identified land for the relocation of illegal settlements on the Langa rail reserve that can accommodate over 1700 households.
Approximately R102 million will be used to relocate 1 245 households from Langa by November 30 this year.