According to the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA), final preparations are being made for this week’s reopening of the routes from Cape Town to Langa via Pinelands and Langa to Bellville via Sarepta.
The lines are a part of phase 1 of the Central Line recovery programme, and they are anticipated to reopen on Tuesday.
Due to theft and vandalism, the Central Line was shut down in 2019. Illegal occupations on the rail network during the level 5 lockdown made it more difficult to restore the route.
“Given the challenges encountered with the relocating of households on the rail reserve and the criminal syndicates’ ongoing attacks on security officers, the resume of the service on the lines is a huge milestone for PRASA.
The Central Line’s hazardous parts posed a threat to our employees and contractors.
In order to resume the much awaited Central Line services, PRASA changed its plan, which included cordoning off the informal settlements for the safe running of trains ahead of schedule, while HDA completes the relocation process, the agency stated on Monday.
PRASA stated that it is happy with the progress made in restoring train services through community and stakeholder involvement.
“PRASA has to completely rebuild the infrastructure in order to resume this service.
Electrical wires, railroad tracks, and railway clips that had been damaged or stolen, as well as the substructure supporting the rail network, have all been replaced.
“This also covers the restoration of five damaged rail network power substations. For the safety of our riders and employees, PRASA has stepped up security on the ground to protect the rail infrastructure.
In order to reduce theft and vandalism, we have also implemented anti-theft and anti-vandalism equipment, according to the agency.
The Western Cape crew, which worked around the hours to ensure that services resumed on schedule, and the community that calls the rail reserve home for its cooperation have both received thanks from PRASA.