Prasa and eThekwini’s talks to fully restore rail services continue
The Illovo River bridge was damaged by floods in 2022, leaving commuters in Illovo Beach, Umgababa, Umkomaas, Scottburgh, Park Rynie, and Kelso stranded.
OFFICIALS from the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) held another meeting with eThekwini Municipality Mayor Cyril Xaba on July 28 and provided an update on the restoration of services, including the Durban-Kelso line.
Also read: Illovo railway bridge designs unveiled
Trains discontinued using the line after the Illovo River bridge was damaged by floods in 2022, leaving thousands of commuters in Illovo Beach, Umgababa, Umkomaas, Scottburgh, Park Rynie, and Kelso stranded. Currently, trains from Durban go as far as Winklespruit.
The meeting looked at ways to accelerate the full restoration of commuter rail services. In a statement, eThekwini said the mayor also received an update on the signalling project currently underway.
“Prasa has allocated R7b towards modernising the signalling system in Durban and surrounding areas. The upgraded signalling infrastructure will improve train scheduling, increase service reliability, and enable more trains to operate,” read the statement.
In preparation for the full restoration of services in all areas, Prasa said it has procured 101 trains for KZN, of which 44 have already been deployed. Once the projects are completed, Prasa aims to increase annual passenger trips in the province to 10.1 million, contributing to the national target of 600 million passenger trips per day.
Other issues discussed during the meeting included interventions to address the encroachment of informal settlements onto railway reserves and the illegal dumping of waste along railway lines, both of which continue to hamper the safe and efficient operation of rail services.
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