Metrorail Western Cape says it has successfully relaunched its Northern Line between Cape Town and Bellville earlier today.

The first train departed Bellville at 05:40 am bound for Cape Town Station.

This is after the line was closed along with the rest of Metrorail operations with the introduction of the Covid-19 hard lockdown that saw all public transportation operations halted.

Metrorail acting spokesperson Nana Zenani says they have been hard at work this past few days to reintroduce the service.

Metrorail focused on the following aspects to get the services running again:

1. Corridor Condition Assessment
2. Rail infrastructure upgrades and repairs
3. Station facilities upgrades
4. Rail track griding to improve track formation
5. Operational planning and service design in order to produce a timetable
6. Testing of the line
7. Staff training

The operator ran empty trains over the past two days (Monday the 14th and Tuesday 15 March) as part of fulfilling the regulatory mandate before operations could start.

Get the latest updates and route announcements here.

Related articles:

• Metrorail Western Cape introduces new blue trains on the Cape Flats and Southern Lines.
• MyCiti N2 Express service fleet to be expanded to 34 buses.
• MyCiti N2 Express bus service resumes operations.

#NorthernLineCT – Re-Introduction of partial Mainline services
Please note that certain stations along the route remains non-operational due to infrastructure that still needs attention, once safe it will be communicated. @PRASA_Group @rmaseko @MbalulaFikile #PublicTransport pic.twitter.com/DGcQQwT6zs

— Metrorail W/Cape (@CapeTownTrains) March 16, 2022