Cape Town Train Revival On Track, Says Prasa Boss

Raymond Maseko, the Western Cape head of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa Prasa, has unveiled ambitious plans to overhaul Cape Town's train services.

His goal? A train every 10 minutes and an average wait time of just five minutes.

The F inancial Mail has reported that last week, Prasa tested the central line from the city to Chris Hani station in Khayelitsha, marking a key step toward a safer and more efficient route. However, Maseko stressed that the line won't be fully operational until it gets the green light from the railway safety regulator.

Part of the challenge has been addressing illegal shacks built too close to the tracks. Maseko recalls the 1 000 shacks in Langa that prevented trains from operating, forcing their closure in 2019 due to vandalism and cable theft.

'We had a serious issue on our hands,' he said, describing a catastrophic loss of 80 of Prasa's value between 2015 and 2019. The pandemic only compounded the issue, with only seven out of 124 stations operational when services resumed.