Prasa's Central Line relaunch: A vital step for Cape Town commuters

The relaunch of the Central Line corridor from Chris Hani Station in Khayelitsha marks significant progress in efforts to fully restore this vital rail service for commuters and the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa).

This was the key message delivered by Transport MEC Barbara Greecy on Thursday May 29.  

Ms Creecy said the Central Line, when operating at full capacity, accounts for 350 ,000 of Cape Town’s 685 900 daily passenger trips.

The line was opened after extensive repair works on stations, substations, overhead traction electrification systems and more. 

Ms Creecy said she believes that once the line is fully restored, many people will return to using it. Currently, two trains per hour are operating on the Central Line, but as signalling capacity improves, the aim is to run up to six trains per hour.

She said the ultimate goal is to return the service to its original level of operation while ensuring it is a reliable and safe mode of transport.

“The numbers speak for themselves: nearly 700 000 daily passenger trips equate to a substantial number of cars that are taken off Cape Town’s Road network. Given the capacity, the train transports about 2 400 passengers per trip meaning that it plays a vital role in the transport industry, she said, adding that It is affordable, safe and it should be an efficient.

"This line is not only about commuting but it is about connecting the commuters to work places and employment opportunities. With tough economic challenges, the affordability of these services brings a sigh of relief to commuters who are already burdened with their own challenges.  However, I must admit that the recovery of  this line has not been a smooth sailing journey - it has been a mammoth task and came with endless challenges."

She said theft, vandalism and illegal occupation of near train trails has been one of the most challenging issues which they had to deal with.

But through endless collaboration between various tiers of government, law enforcement agencies as well as communities they are now able to open the line, she said. 

Prasa group CEO, Hishaam Emeran, said they were extremely excited that they were able to have trains running on the central line if you reflect on their journey of recovery.

He said the only station where trains are not currently stopping is Kuyasa, next to Chris Hani, but work is under way to ensure all stations along the line become fully operational.

City of Cape Town mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, said he was pleased the line has been restored and that the trains are being brought back into service. He said this would make a significant difference for commuters and residents by greatly reducing their travel costs.