The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) announced on Thursday that it will resume a commercial service from Pretoria to Kempton Park effective immediately.
This, said the rail agency, brings the number of recovered lines to 20 out of 40, with trains now running on 26 operational lines in Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
Prasa said it has made significant progress in rehabilitating vandalised stations, with a total of 230 stations refurbished to basic functionality.
Following the necessary permit from the railway safety regulator, the agency introduced the service with new modern high-tech trains from Pretoria to Kempton Park, and services available from Kempton Park to Germiston at both peak and off-peak.
“The resumption of this service takes us a step closer towards running the service between the three big metros in Gauteng.
Soon trains will be running from Pretoria to Ekurhuleni, and all the way to Johannesburg Park Station, reflecting the interconnectedness between our metros,” said Prasa Group CEO Hishaam Emeran.
The agency also stated that commuters will now save on travel costs as a trip from Pretoria to Kempton Park costs R9.50 while traveling from Pretoria to Germiston costs R11.50. A train trip from Pretoria to Olifanstfontein comes in at R8.50.
“This shows how our affordable services can ease the burden of travel costs on our
commuters, many of whom are from the lower LSM [living standards measure] groups, spending up to 40% of their household income on transport,” said Emeran.
Emeran added that Prasa has gained ground in its efforts to rebuild passenger rail corridors and move commuters on the new blue modern trains, Isitimela Sabantu.
“The number of reopened lines and those earmarked for reopening tells the story of solid progress in returning passenger rail to its rightful place as the future backbone of public transport.
“By the end of this financial year, Prasa will have recovered 80% of the passenger rail corridors and lines, while bringing to our people a modernised passenger train experience.”
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