Lydia Sindisiwe Chikunga, minister of transport, joined the group chief executive officer of PRASA, Hishaam Emeran, and other city officials on a train ride from Nyanga to Cape Town station to assess the work done to recover the Central Line’s rail infrastructure and stations.
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According to IOL, Chikunga visited the stations to see the progress and note the work that still needs to be done, such as the removal of illegal dwellers from railway lines.
‘I am very happy, particularly because we have discovered that this is no longer about testing; we have discovered that people are already using the service, and there are advantages to that effect,’ said Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga.
She added, ‘People pay much less compared to other modes of transport, and therefore, with the high cost of living, we are giving them a choice to still travel but pay far less than they have been paying in the absence of trains.’
Prasa CEO Hishaam Emeran stated that the current operation involved providing off-grid services to commuters because trains continue to run during loadshedding.
‘For our stations, we have backup generators to ensure that lights and the ability to sell tickets are not impeded,’ said Emeran.
He added, ‘In terms of being able to run the trains, that is not being immediately impacted because we have substations that feed the lines.’
Emeran explained that, fortunately, the majority of those substations are not connected to the residential grid. However, if the country goes beyond stage 6, they will have to look at other majors, but for now, the trains are still running even with loadshedding.
A reported 3 500 illegal dwellers stand in the way of further operational services on the central line from Nyanga to Chris Hani in Khayelitsha and Nyanga to Kapteinsklip in Mitchells Plain.
According to IOL, Prasa stated that it would prioritise those within the 10-metre boundary for them to put up temporary fencing, allowing construction to proceed.
Group Chief Executive Officer of PRASA, Mr Hishaam Emeran speaks on the progress made recovering the rail corridor. 16 corridors have been recovered to date #RebuildingRail pic.twitter.com/axJa0GjHnN
— PRASA Group (@PRASA_Group) April 4, 2023
Alderman Eddie Andrews, who is the deputy mayor and a member of the mayoral committee for spatial planning and environment, said that they needed about 40 acres to remove the central line dwellers because their lives had been built around where they were living.
‘As residents of the city, we have to take ownership and ensure that the rights of any property holder are protected,’ said Alderman Andrews. ‘We have to ensure that the rules of law are protected.’
He added, ‘We need to recognise that there are people and families residing there; we have to move them sustainably as they are attending school and employed in close proximity; we also have to look at options that are not too far from their current location.’
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Picture: Prasa Group / Facebook
