Passenger numbers in Cape Town reached 53 000 people a day in April last year, says Transport Minister Barbara Creecy.

With the reopening of Philippi and Nolungile stations, this number has now almost doubled to 104 000 passenger trips a day.

With the targeted completion of the Kapteinsklip’s second line towards the end of the year, the number of daily trips is expected to reach 162 400.

By April next year, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) aims for this number to climb to 342 951 a day, notes Creecy.

The numbers are set to rise further as the Central Line – a principal artery – increasingly swings back into action.

This line connects Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain to the Cape Town and Bellville central business districts.

There are currently 30 000 passenger trips a day on this line, says PRASA.

At full capacity, the artery should, however, contribute around 350 000 daily passenger trips out of an expected 685 900 daily passenger trips in Cape Town. (During its peak, the Central Line carried two-million passengers daily, notes Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport chairperson Donald Selamolela.)

PRASA this month restored the Chris Hani to Cape Town leg of the Central Line, bringing the agency to a near-total recovery of this segment of the railway network following the shutdown of train services during Covid-19, and the subsequent rampant vandalism to infrastructure.

The Central Line was especially hard hit, as it was the subject of illegal occupation in the Langa, Philippi and Khayelitsha areas, with more than 7 000 people living along the railway line.

Creecy notes that the targets set for PRASA in Cape Town during 2026/27 include the delivery of an optimally operating service with fully recovered signalling and 90 km/h train speeds, the unveiling of a digital service environment and compliance with every aspect of the regulator’s safety standards.

“The entire process of recovering the Central Line corridor – replacing and repairing overhead signalling equipment and substations, refurbishing stations and perway, and relocating those occupying the tracks – has so far cost R1.3-billion,” she adds.

The project has also created 2 500 direct jobs.

At present, there are two trains departing Chris Hani Station every hour on the Central Line.

“However, as we increase our signalling capacity, we hope to run an optimal service where we have six trains per hour,” says Creecy.

“In Cape Town, the Southern Line is 98% re-signalled. The focus has now shifted to fully restoring signalling on the Central Line, with completion scheduled for the end of the 2026/2027 financial year.

“This will increase service frequency and allow for a more regular, punctual passenger service.”

77-million Trips a Day; RFI Process on the Cards
Nationwide, PRASA has now recovered 35 out of 40 service lines.

Creecy says the reopening of these lines has led to a significant increase in passenger trips nationwide, reaching 77-million trips over the past year.

This figure is projected to reach 123-million in the current year, with the goal set at 600-million passenger trips by 2030/31. 

“We will only achieve this target by continuing our efforts at corridor revitalisation, station upgrading and refurbishing and resignalling,” says Creecy.

“But we are not stopping here,” she adds.

“The revised Rail Bill is in the Cabinet system and, once approved, will be released for public comment.

“The Bill will provide much-needed clarity on the future of the rail reform process, especially in how it will affect our commuters, as well as determining the modalities of possible devolution of certain rail functions.”

By June the Department of Transport will also request that the public participate in a series of requests for information (RFIs), in order to gauge the market's interest and appetite for various services and products, including managing maintenance depots, automated fare collection and other services and infrastructure.

“This step is crucial as it allows PRASA to collect vital insights into how to structure its offerings and requirements more effectively,” says Creecy.

“Furthermore, the RFI process facilitates the collaborative design of practical funding models that could support the rail industry’s operations and growth.”

Cape Town Wants to Run its Rail System
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has reiterated the city’s ambition to take over the passenger rail service from PRASA.

“Reinstating the Central Line is another step towards the devolution of passenger rail services to the city, in line with national Cabinet policy and our constitutional mandate to provide an integrated public transport system.

“In the coming months, the city will conclude detailed business plans for the takeover of passenger rail.

“We look forward to achieving more progress, together with PRASA and the Minister, towards the vision of one integrated ticketing system for different transport modes, and the massive scaling up of passenger numbers, new train sets, new routes, and to upgrade stations and surrounding areas with affordable housing over the next two decades,” he notes.

The City of Cape Town is developing business plans for three potential ownership models:

One where the city owns, operates and maintains the rail network, stations and trains and absorbs PRASA personnel

One where the city owns all rail-related assets, and concessions the rail network, stations and responsibility for all train operations and maintenance. In this model, the concessionaire absorbs all PRASA personnel.

And lastly, one where the city procures a large-scale integrated solution through a comprehensive concession.

“It is critical that we keep expanding Cape Town’s rail infrastructure given our growing population,” says City of Cape Town Urban Mobility MMC Rob Quintas.

“That includes the revitalisation of the Central Line and increasing capacity on other lines where demand is high, such as the route between Strand and Bellville, as well as expanding the service to areas where there are currently no trains at all, such as the implementation of the Blue Downs line.”