Ramaphosa to visit Prasa Modernisation Programme

President Cyril Ramaphosa will visit Prasa where he will be briefed on the state-owned passenger rail services' efforts to improve commuter services. File picture: African News Agency (ANA)

President Cyril Ramaphosa will visit Prasa where he will be briefed on the state-owned passenger rail services' efforts to improve commuter services. File picture: African News Agency (ANA)

Published Apr 5, 2019

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Johannesburg - President Cyril Ramaphosa will visit the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) in Cape Town where he will be briefed on the state-owned passenger rail services' efforts to improve commuter services and to stimulate economic activity and industrialisation through its modernisation programme, the Presidency said on Friday.

During the meeting on Tuesday, Ramaphosa will also observe the testing of the new train sets, his office said.

"The President’s visit follows his recent personal experience of commuter frustration and technical problems with rolling stock between Mabopane and Bosman stations in Pretoria. During an engagement with commuters, the train on which the President was travelling broke down, turning a 45-minute journey into a three-hour delay," his office said.

"In Cape Town, Prasa will take the President through elements of the passenger rail sector’s 20-year modernisation programme. This programme aims to revitalise the rail industry through local manufacturing of parts, maintenance, the establishment of training facilities, the achievement of 65 percent local content, and training and skills development for PRASA employees and young people interested in the rail industry."

Ramaphosa will view two new trains that were manufactured locally and which are expected to be deployed on upgraded infrastructure, as part of Prasa’s Rolling Stock Fleet Renewal Programme that will see the manufacturing of more than 7 000 new trains over a period of 20 years.

African News Agency (ANA)

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