After Chris Hani rail corridor reopened, Hill-Lewis keen to see full train service resume in CT

CAPE TOWN - Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said he was happy to see trains moving again in the city, albeit at a reduced scale.

The mayor accompanied Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy, her deputy, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, and members of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) board, who reopened the Chris Hani corridor in Khayelitsha on Thursday.

This is one of the crucial links in Cape Town's central rail network. 

Services in this line came to a screeching halt in November 2019 due to widespread theft and vandalism.

PRASA said that of the 124 Metrorail train stations in the province, only three did not have train access.

Cape Town's central line is considered the backbone of public transport in the Western Cape, ferrying more than half a million train commuters when operating at its peak.

Hill-Lewis said that the normal resumption of train services would be beneficial for all Capetonians.

"At the moment, it's costing you more than R40 to use a minibus taxi to get to town, and this is going to bring the cost for every resident of Khayelitsha down significantly. It's going to save you money, it's going to save you time - this is a very important public service."

PRASA said that full train services on the line would resume as soon as the three remaining train stations were reopened in a few months’ time.