By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has relaunched the Nancefield railway line from Soweto to Park Station in Johannesburg.
As part of the relaunch, Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga took a trip on a train from Nancefield to Johannesburg on Friday.
This is one of the many Prasa rail networks that were vandalised during the COVID-19 lockdown four years ago. The rail agency has 40 corridors across the country and 31 are currently operational.
Prasa announced on 2 April that three crucial rail lines in Gauteng opened at the end of March. These are: New Canada to Nancefield; Germiston to Khosini; and Johannesburg to Florida.
Prasa has also reopened the Cape Town to Stellenbosch line in the Western Cape and Merebank to Chatsglen line in KwaZulu-Natal.
The reopening of the three lines in Gauteng follows the return to service of 10 other rail lines in the province over the past 12 months, including key routes used by large numbers of commuters daily.
This brings to 13 the total number of reopened rail lines in Gauteng. Three still remain out of action.
The other operational rail lines in Gauteng are: Pretoria to Saulsville; Pretoria to Pienaarspoort; Pretoria to Dewildt; Pretoria to Mabopane; Mabopane to Belle-Ombre; Pretoria to Irene; Pretoria to Kempton Park; Leralla to Germiston; Naledi to Johannesburg; and Vereeniging to Union.
“To date, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa has restored 31 of the 40 lines nationally, with over 263 of the 463 stations that were vandalised refurbished to basic functionality, “Chikunga said.
According to Chikunga, there’s been a boost in passenger rail commuter trips nationwide since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said there have been over 70 million passenger train trips over the last three years.
“Though we are not where we should be, this marks a significant improvement and illustrates the demand for the service. It also tells the story that people are gradually choosing rail as their preferred mode of transport,” she added.
“By providing affordable and efficient transportation options, we have empowered marginalised groups, improved access to opportunities, and fostered greater social and economic inclusion. Our people now have access to comfortable modern trains that get them to their destinations on time.”
Prasa served 600 million passengers across the country annually before the theft and vandalism that erupted during the pandemic when rail services were suspended.