People who have erected shacks on railway lines in the Western Cape will soon be relocated.This is what Transport minister, Fikile Mbalula, told the national assembly on Wednesday, 4 May. Mbalula said the department of transport is working hard to return trains to the railway lines in the province.
He stated that a piece of land has been identified and he’s meeting with the minister of human settlements today to finalise preparations for the land that people will be relocated to.
“What we are doing as the passenger rail, particularly PRASA, is to continue with our work. If you go to Langa, you will see the work that we are doing to secure the rail network, while people are waiting to be resettled,” he said.
He added that they will continue with the work to secure the network. “I can assure you that you are going to see the line opened very soon for trains, while people are resettled to a new piece of land in the Western Cape. We are working tirelessly to move people from rail tracks in the Western Cape,” he said.
The central line is the busiest train route in Cape Town and trains have not been operating fully for the past three years. It has suffered severe damage due to among others, cable theft vandalism and more informal settlements have been erected on the railway lines in Langa and Phillipi since the start of Covid-19 lockdown.
“We are going to move people. Even before we do that, the work of getting trains running in the central line has started and you are going to see the trains running,” he said.
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Picture: Cape Town Etc gallery