Crucial link in Cape Town's central rail network reopens

CAPE TOWN - A crucial link in Cape Town's central rail network comes online on Thursday.

Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy is in the city to reopen the Chris Hani corridor in Khayelitsha.
 
The central line has been dormant since November 2019 due to widespread theft and vandalism.

Creecy, her deputy, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, and Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) board members will take a train from Chris Hani train station to the Cape Town CBD to mark the official relaunch of the station.

The launch follows extensive repair works on stations, substations, and electrical train cables on the central line in Cape Town.

Infrastructure damage to the busiest corridor has left nearly half a million train commuters stranded for several months.

Earlier in May, PRASA executives indicated that out of the 124 Metrorail train stations in the Cape, only 3 do not have train access.

Those stations are Lentergeur, Mitchells Plain, and Kapteinsklip. 

PRASA said the aim is to have a full train service running in the next few months.