Rail agency Prasa is on a path to recovery having partially restored 31 of the original 40 passenger train routes that were vandalised at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Minister of Transport Sindiswa Chikunga says she is proud of the achievements made by Prasa and how it’s positively impacting communities, who heavily rely on public transport.
“To date, PRASA has restored 31 of the 40 lines nationally, with over 263 of the 463 stations that were vandalized refurbished to basic functionality,” the Minister said, adding: “Just in Gauteng, PRASA has recovered 6 more lines that were targeted for the 2023/24 financial year.
“Trains are now running from Hercules to Belle Ombre, Pretoria to Kaalfontein, Leralla to Germiston, Germiston to Johannesburg, Germiston to Elsburg, Johannesburg to Naledi, Johannesburg to Nancefield, Johannesburg to Florida, connecting the three great municipalities of Gauteng: Pretoria, Ekurhuleni, and the City of Johannesburg, all the way to the West Rand.”
Minister Chikunga stated she’s optimistic “the remaining corridors would be operational as soon as Transnet transfers them to Prasa.”
For commuters hoping for a consistent availability of the trains throughout the week, Prasa CEO, Hishaam Emeran said they’re working hard to improve efficiency and making sure the agency delivers a reliable and punctual service.
“We want to get to the point where we see trains running every five to ten minutes in peak,” Emeran said.
The news have been warmly welcomed by commuters throughout the country, among them is Sonto from Soweto, who commutes daily between Soweto’s Nancefield and Johannesburg Park station. Reacting to this exciting news, she said: “It’s good news for public transport users since a train ticket is cheaper than the price of a taxi fare. We can’t wait for the routes to expand when existing broken routes
are fixed.”
