Today, I joined Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula and PRASA on a train ride to mark the crucial resumption of certain train services on sections of the central line.

We saw the reopening of the much-needed train service from Cape Town to Langa via Pinelands and Langa to Bellville via Sarepta.

The central line was closed in 2019 due to theft and vandalism. This has had a huge impact on critically important public transport.

Restoring the rail service is a top priority. Rail was once the backbone of public transport in the city, transporting over 600,000 passengers per day.  Today, it transports fewer than 200,000 passengers per day.  

The Department of Transport and Public Works engages regularly with PRASA and Metrorail about the state of rail in the Western Cape. We remain deeply concerned about the state of the rail system, specifically in the Cape Metro area, given its virtual collapse. 

Those living in the Metro South East area, including Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain, have been hardest hit due to the closure of the Central Line, which has deprived them of an affordable, reliable means of accessing opportunities.  These commuters have had to resort to more expensive alternatives, thereby placing an additional strain on their finances.  The collapse of rail over the last 10 years has also led to a rise in congestion on our roads, as commuters shift to using private cars, buses and minibus taxis. 

Rail is critical to the economy of the Western Cape and has great potential to support inclusive and sustainable development.  No other mode of transport can transport people as efficiently as rail and in such significant numbers, which is particularly important given that many of the city’s largest residential areas are a considerable distance from areas of opportunity, requiring long and costly daily commutes.  A good rail system is also a crucial tool to manage congestion.

The poor state of the system is a great obstacle and is constraining progress in the region.  It remains an absolute priority for all spheres of government to come together to fix rail and restore it as the backbone of transport in the Metro. 

We will continue to hold PRASA to account while supporting their efforts to restore rail services, prioritising particularly the full resumption of services on the Central Line. The people of the Western Cape cannot continue to live without a functioning rail service.

Media Queries:   

Ntomboxolo Makoba-Somdaka

Spokesperson for Minister Daylin Mitchell

Cell: 082 953 0026

Email: Ntomboxolo.Makoba-Somdaka@westerncape.gov.za