Good news for central line
The central line will reportedly be up and running by February next year.
Earlier this year, the Plainsman was told that the train line, which was a lifeline for commuters in need of affordable transport, would be functioning by July (‘Plain train line on track’, Plainsman’ May 15), but it was pushed back, said Mitchell’s Plain United Residents Association (MURA) deputy chairperson, Michael Jacobs.
MURA wants the President’s office to intervene and declare the central line a rail emergency, so that’s it’s opening can by fast tracked, he said.
Mr Jacobs told Plainsman at a meeting on Monday November 26, that should be taken directly to the president’s office becase of “our frustration, with the slow progress in getting the central line on track”.
He said Cape Crisis Committee and Mitchell's Plain must be represented on the Implementation Protocol Committee as Mitchell's Plain residents are directly affected by the continuous delay to free up the rail corridor, he said.
They would like to establish commuter safety forums to ensure that rail commuters and rail infrastructure are protected, said Mr Jacobs.
Zinobulali Mihi, spokesperson for Prasa, confirmed, 900 informal settlements on the train tracks had been relocated to a plot of land in Stock Road, Philippi (‘Prasa relocation illegal’, Plainsman, January 31).
According to Mr Jacobs, they’ve currently seen a number of shacks being erected which could a further delay the opening of the line. However, Ms Mihi said PRASA Western Cape had not been made aware of this.
“This winter and rainy weather conditions delayed the recovery work in our rail network. We’re currently busy with the formation work, to rebuild the railway lines and we have encountered high water tables, which is not ideal for formation work. This is particularly evident in the Philippi area,” she said.
Beyond Philippi, they’ve made “significant progress both from an infrastructure and station point of view”, she said.
They cannot confirm the next meeting date as they have been engaging municipalities on projects, including job and business opportunities. The Mitchell’s Plain sub-councils were also part of these engagements, said Ms Mihi.
Lentegeur train station community liaison officer Cornelius Basson, said the community was excited with the progress yet disappointed by the delays. They were hoping to using the trains during the festive season as it is cheaper.
“We’re looking forward to the trains working in Mitchell’s Plain in the months to come.”
The City is set to have business plans in place by mid-2025 to take over the management of passenger rail services in the metro, said mayoral media officer Lyndon Khan, in a press release.
“Taking charge of Metrorail is especially important for lower income households, who would save an estimated R932m a year if trains were working as they should,” said Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.
“We have a vision to massively scale up passenger numbers, new train sets, new routes, and to upgrade stations and surrounding areas with affordable housing over the next two decades,” he said.
Prasa sent them a signed Service Level Plan (SLP) to improve Metrorail in the short-term, which the City will monitor via a joint committee.
“This is a big step towards improving the quality and reliability of the service through a legally binding agreement, and I’m pleased that we managed to get this finalised this year still,” he said.
“Once complete, the business plans will give us further clarity on the required capital injections to replace dated assets and expand the rail network,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee for Urban Mobility, Councillor Rob Quintas.