South Africa's Passenger Rail Service Sees Partial Restoration of 31 Train Routes

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has reported significant progress in restoring and rebuilding the country's passenger rail service, with 31 of the 40 train routes partially restored nationwide and nearly 300 damaged and vandalized stations refurbished. Andiswa Makanda, a spokesperson for PRASA, announced the developments, highlighting improvements such as new high-tech trains, enhanced signaling, and more frequent and safer services.

In Cape Town, efforts to guarantee punctual train operations are underway to recover the critical Central line, which was heavily impacted by vandalism, theft, and the growth of informal settlements during the pandemic. While 890 families have been relocated, an additional 4,000 need to be moved to enable the line's complete restoration. PRASA is currently running 48 train sets on the recovered corridors, with plans to reach 90 train sets by the first quarter of the next financial year, resulting in a train every 10 minutes.

Why this matters: The partial restoration of South Africa's passenger rail service is a significant step towards improving public transportation and connecting communities. The progress made by PRASA will have a positive impact on the daily lives of thousands of commuters who rely on trains for their mobility needs.

Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga visited Cape Town to assess the progress in restoring train services. She took a train ride on the city's southern line and announced that train services between Khayelitsha and the CBD will be the next priority, with services between the CBD and Nolungile train station in Khayelitsha set to resume in May. However, the full restoration of the central line has been delayed due to infrastructure theft, vandalism, and informal housing on rail reserves.

Chikunga also unveiled the 200th new Electric Multiple Unit train in Cape Town, part of PRASA's fleet of locally manufactured 'People's Trains'. The agency aims to have 600 of these trains running by 2031. Additionally, PRASA is undertaking a multi-year project to re-signal its rail network in phases, which will improve efficiency and reliability.

Key Takeaways

• PRASA has restored 31 of 40 train routes and refurbished 300 damaged stations.
• Efforts underway to recover Cape Town's Central line impacted by vandalism, theft.
• PRASA plans to increase train sets from 48 to 90 by Q1 next year.
• Transport Minister announces resumption of Khayelitsha-CBD train services in May 2024.
• PRASA aims to have 600 locally manufactured 'People's Trains' running by 2031.