‘Have a safe trip again’: Prasa winning vandalism fight with 80% railway lines restored

More than 80% of the country’s railway lines are back in service and running with improved security services, after the vandalism and looting of infrastructure that happened during Covid-19 outbreak in 2020.

According to the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), the full recovery of the train services, including signalling, is expected by the 2027-28 financial year. The agency said it was on track with the revival of train services and the future of Metrorail.

Since the 2021-22 financial year, the railway agency received over R38 billion in capital funding from the fiscus to restore and improve the service in the country.

The agency has spent R3.4 billion on recovering rail infrastructure in Gauteng alone.

Prasa spokesperson Andiswa Makanda said: “The plans are part of our wider strategy to improve passenger rail services across South Africa and make rail a safe, reliable and affordable mode of transport.”

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The route from Naledi in Soweto to Park Station in Johannesburg remains one of the busiest, often reaching full capacity during peak times.

A commuter, Lucky Siboiboi, who has been using trains for 18 years, makes the daily trip from Protea, a stone’s away from Naledi, to Johannesburg, where he is a hawker.

“The train experience is totally different compared to the old yellow trains. The blue ones are so clean – something we never used to see. Trains are always on time with no delays and there are security personnel onboard.”

Covid’s impact on Prasa

The Naledi line, part of the Gauteng West corridor, was hardest hit during the Covid lockdowns, with 30 out of 55 train stations in the West vandalised, Prasa’s Makanda said.

Here, ticket fares cost R8.50 for a single trip to Johannesburg but R5 during off-peak hours between 9.30am to 2.30pm.

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Siboiboi added: “I returned to the trains almost immediately when the services resumed in 2022, and now spend R160 on a monthly ticket. It saves much on transport costs. As someone who hasn’t been able to find a permanent job and relies on odd jobs, this has been a lifesaver.”

Over the last 24 months, Prasa has revamped 36 of the 40 lines it operates nationally, many of which were either completely or partially destroyed due to vandalism and theft. Only four lines were operational after Covid.

The stolen or vandalised infrastructure and assets included railway tracks, sleepers, substations, overhead electrical wires, signalling equipment used for train movement control and stations.

Since then, the agency embarked on phased-in full recovery of rail infrastructure, which saw the roll-out of the new high-tech, modern electric trains.

Inside, lights above the doors indicate if the locomotive can proceed, while numerous security guards are on duty inside the train, patrolling up and down.

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These guards form part of Prasa’s trained 286 peace officers in criminal law and the Criminal Procedure Act, giving them powers to arrest.

‘No crime’

Kgotso Motaung, a university student, has been using trains since high school and now takes the blue trains.

“There’s a huge difference. Now, there’s always security personnel on board. I haven’t witnessed any crime.

“Previously, on the yellow trains, there was a lot of phone snatching and people couldn’t use their gadgets because it was easy to escape through the open doors.

But now I feel safer.

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“Also, the train doesn’t move if the doors aren’t closed, which has eliminated train surfing or accidents,” Motaung said.

‘Still more to do’

Prasa is working on restoring signalling across all service lines to replace manual authorisation.

“The agency has fully restored signalling on six major lines, including Mabopane to Pretoria and Cape Town to Simon’s Town,” Makanda said.

Nationally, Prasa has refurbished 266 of the 463 vandalised stations, restoring basic functionality. “Work will continue for full functionality, with around 135 stations in Gauteng still needing refurbishment.”

One of those is the Lens to Vereeniging line, which is currently undergoing rehabilitation. The line caters for commuters from Ennerdale, Grasmere and Orange Farm, with reopening earmarked for December.

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Andile Tshayingce, a security officer who has been a commuter for years, said the Johannesburg to Midway line was recently opened and Prasa had begun work to extend the line from Lenasia to Vereeniging.

“I used to live in Sebokeng Zone 10, taking the train daily to Lenasia for work, but when it became clear the trains weren’t returning anytime soon, I had to move closer to work, or all my wages would have gone to transport costs,” Tshayingce said.

Guards on duty at Prasa stations

When The Citizen team visited several stations, there were guards along the railway line to protect the infrastructure.

Prasa has reported a 72% reduction in security incidents between 2020-21 and 2023-24.

The Florida line was reopened in June and is set to be expanded to Randfontein.

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A commuter, Puleng Mokotedi, who has been taking the train from Florida to Johannesburg for nearly four months, said: “These new ones have been great. Even the staff on board are friendly and what impresses me most is that it doesn’t delay. We arrive on time and it’s affordable,” she said.

At the end of March, Prasa announced it had restored five major Metrorail services in three provinces: Gauteng, Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal.

In Gauteng, the lines now include routes from Park Station to Florida, Johannesburg to Nancefield and Germiston to Elsburg.