The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has achieved two significant milestones in the 2024/25 financial year.

Firstly, the agency received an unqualified audit opinion from the Auditor-General for the first time in nine years, and, secondly, passenger numbers have almost doubled from 39.4-million trips a year in the previous financial year, to 77-million trips in 2024/25.

This number is, however, still a far cry from the 516-million passenger trips recorded in 2014/15.

A total of 208 000 train trips were scheduled in 2024/25, achieving a 91% on-time performance (up from 87%), with cancellations at 3%.

Some of the other metrics reported by PRASA group CEO Hishaam Emeran confirm that the agency continues on its steep path to recovery.

Thirty-five of the 40 service lines/corridors have now been recovered and restored since 2021/22 – with the prior period one of neglect and mismanagement, while the rail service was also heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Six lines were restored in the year under review.

Just short of 270 new, blue trains have now been accepted into the PRASA fleet under its rolling stock renewal and modernisation programme, with 60 of these added in the year under review.

Forty-six stations have been revitalised, bringing the total of recovered and operational stations to 313 out of 468 commuter stations.

Of more long-term significance, however, is the progress made in modernising PRASA’s ailing signalling system, which is acting as a major brake on boosting the agency’s passenger numbers, and thus, its income, as well as its potential impact on reducing road traffic.

New signalling infrastructure have been commissioned on three priority lines in KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape, leading to more trains arriving at stations in quicker succession.

The goal is to cut waiting times at stations from an hour to ten minutes on high-demand corridors.

PRASA also recorded 259 safety occurrences in the year under review, translating into 0.34 incidents per 100 000 passenger trips, with the acceptable threshold set at 0.58.

Security-related incidents remained flat, at 897 cases, compared with 898 last year.

This is, however, significantly down from the 3 387 incidents reported in 2020/21.

PRASA says its land, stations and other property stream, now housed in its Intersite Asset Investments subsidiary (as from April 1), remains central to the agency’s long-term financial sustainability.

In 2024/25, commercial income from this stream reached R708-million.

Flagship developments include the Cape Town Station mixed-use development, The Lab student accommodation in Braamfontein, and the Goodwood social housing project in Cape Town.

In another flagship project, a 1 MW PV rooftop plant at the Durban Station is under construction.

Tap-and-go payments are also on the cards.