Metrorail Western Cape said plans are in place to get Mitchell’s Plain’s rail services running again by July.
More than 400 000 commuters who formerly travelled from train stations such as Mandalay, Mitchell’s Plain, Lentegeur and Kapteinsklip have been forced to make use of alternative modes of transport.
According to the community, residents are forking out more cash to use e-hailing services, taxis, buses or petrol for their vehicles.
READ MORE: The resumption of train services in Mitchell’s Plain
Earlier this year, Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis confirmed that one of the reasons why the Mother City’s traffic volumes have tripled in recent years is because close to 1 million commuters who previously made use of trains are no longer doing so. This is a result of numerous trains being torched, and train stations and infrastructure being vandalized over the last few years, costing the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) millions of rands to repair.
A meeting is being held on Friday to finalize what these plans will entail. Metrorail’s spokesperson Zino Mihi said teams are currently busy with recovery work at all the stations along the Central Line (the portion from Philippi to Kapteinskip, as well as the stations from Stock Road to Chris Hani).
“During this month, we intend to complete the infrastructure work being Nyanga and Nolungile Stations. This will allow us to test the train service from Cape Town to Nolungile Stations, as we will introduce a limited service,” explained Mihi.
She added that the service can only officially be re-introduced once the railway regulator is satisfied with the level of safety on the line.
“We envisage the completion of the stations on the Kapteinsklip line by the end of July this year,” clarified Mihi.
