The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has invested a staggering R800 million into revitalising our rail lines as part of a comprehensive recovery programme. This significant investment is crucial for restoring passenger rail services, enhancing safety, and ensuring robust leadership as we move forward.
During Transport Month, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy visited the Merebank to Crossmoor commuter line on Friday, 11 October. Did you know that a ticket for this route costs just R7.50? It’s an economical way to travel!
Minister Creecy shared our achievements: “In this city, there are eight lines transporting passengers into the metro, and we have recovered six of those lines, restoring 70 of 102 stations.” She emphasised that recovering these lines is no simple task, stating, “This recovery is not an easy task. It requires replacing rails, dealing with the flood damage of 2022, and addressing the electricity overhead power lines that power the electric trains.”
A crucial part of our recovery is rebuilding a traction substation to ensure sufficient power for the line. Many stations have suffered vandalism, but we are making significant improvements, including ticket sales, ablution facilities, weather protection, and reliable water and electricity supplies at five stations on this line. “Work that has been done on the five stations on this particular line includes ticket sales, ablution facilities, weather protection and supplying water and electricity,” Creecy noted.
One exciting development is that the Merebank to Crossmoor line will be the first to feature new modern signalling technology. “The contract for signalling has been awarded, and we are now in the design phase,” said Creecy. “Signalling allows us to dramatically increase the number of trains that we are running.” Currently, each train requires direct contact with the driver, limiting operations to one train per line. However, with the introduction of automatic signalling, we’ll be able to control trains electronically from a central control centre, allowing us to run them at three- to five-minute intervals during peak hours. “Once you have automatic signalling, the train is controlled electronically from a central control centre, and we can run the trains at short intervals because there is enough power for all of the trains that will be running,” the Minister explained.
Looking forward, the government aims for 250 million tonnes of freight to move through our freight corridors annually and an ambitious target of 600 million passenger trips by 2030. In eThekwini, we’re aiming for 126 million passenger trips annually. “At the moment, we are running 13 million, and nationwide, we should be running 40 million passenger trips at the end of this financial year,” Creecy stated.
The next big project on the horizon is the recovery of the South Coast line, which is already out to tender, with work set to begin in 2026.