Cape Town - The provincial government and the Passenger Rail Agency (Prasa) have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to revive the central line.
The route has been plagued by theft and vandalising of infrastructure, while its railway lines have been invaded by shack dwellers.
Under the agreement, the province and City will provide land invaders with alternative land and assist with protection of infrastructure and the commuting of passengers.
Metrorail spokesperson Riana Scott said previous MOUs included the provincial government providing scramblers and installing high-mast lighting at stations and, more recently, part funding the Rail Enforcement Unit (REU).
Transport Mayco member Felicity Purchase said they would assist in relocation of land invaders once they had finalised the land made available from the national Department of Public Works, and budget made available.
DA provincial spokesperson on transport and public works, Daylin Mitchell, said he would invite the provincial department and Prasa to brief the standing committee on full details of the MOA and implementation of necessary measures for the central line recovery programme.
“We understand that the MOA includes provincial support to Prasa in establishing an interim bus service between Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain and Langa, and an interim hybrid service of electric trains between Langa and Cape Town,” said Mitchell.
Transport and Public Works MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela said despite efforts by his department and Prasa in the Western Cape, little meaningful progress had been made with regards to the central line. The line, a corridor from Cape Town train station to Chris Hani in Khayelitsha, with a connecting line from Philippi towards Kapteinsklip in Mitchells Plain, was suspended in November 2019 due to “unprecedented theft and vandalism”.
“The Central Line is needed to realise jobs, safety and dignity for the people of the Cape Flats and its functioning is of paramount importance to us. Our understanding is that the institutional failures within Prasa are the primary impediment to meaningful progress,” Madikizela said.
ANC provincial spokesperson on transport Lulama Mvimbi said they needed all spheres of government to work in unison to resuscitate the ailing rail system.
“We have made calls to the provincial government to aid national government efforts by playing an active role in relocating the families that built houses on top of the railway line,” Mvimbi said.
He said if the provincial government had an interest in the revival of the rail network, it should avail suitable pockets of land to relocate those families living in the rail network. “Madikizela must make the MOA public so we can understand its contents,” he said.
Khayelitsha Development Forum chairperson Ndithini Tyhido said they hoped that Prasa’s new board would prioritise the service recovery plan for the central line, on which Khayelitsha has five stations.
The City’s transport portfolio committee chairperson, Angus McKenzie said land invasion and vandalism had not assisted the problems Prasa faced.
McKenzie said the committee would support Prasa in ensuring the rail functioned and said poor communities should not be spending 70% of their salaries on buses and taxis.
Cape Argus