Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula on Monday inspected progress towards restoring commuter train services in Cape Town.
“All 38 stations on the Southern Line are in good operating condition requiring minor maintenance work,” said Mbalula.
“However, there are two stations of great concern that will be upgraded as part of the National Station Improvement Programme (NSIP); These are Athlone and Maitland stations.”
The Passenger Rail Service (PRASA) has suffered massive vandalisation in the last two years that saw services discontinued on many routes.
Vandals took advantage of the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19 to steal copper cables, rails, door frames and other equipment from deserted train stations.
Mbalula said work to repair vandalised rail facilities continues and more commuter rail services are being restored.
“To date, PRASA has restored services in five of the seven corridors in Cape Town’s Southern Line,” said Mbalula.
“On 28 December 2021, we returned to service the Retreat to Fish Hoek service after a two-month shut down as a result of vandalism.”
The transport minister said R7 billion rand will be invested in improving the commuter train service and other vandalised infrastructure.
Repairs to the Central Line are yet to begin. Some people have built shacks very close to the rails in Langa and they now have to be moved before any work can begin.
Thousands of residents in Langa have been issued notices to vacate Prasa’s railway tracks.
