ETHEKWINI Municipality and the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) held a planning meeting regarding the rehabilitation of the Illovo River railway bridge on April 8.

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The bridge was damaged exactly four years ago during the 2022 floods, making passenger train travel between Durban and Kelso on the Lower South Coast impossible.

Two design options for a new railway bridge to replace the old one were unveiled to the public in 2024 in the draft basic-assessment report that was made available for public input at Kingsburgh Library.

The two proposed versions differ in design but are both intended to withstand future flooding, which caused the bridge to wash away twice before.

In a statement, eThekwini called the meeting “a high-stakes productive session” with Prasa management.

“This initiative will bring hope to the community in the south of Durban,” read the statement.

No time frames have been agreed upon yet, but the provincial Department of Transport has said that once funding has been made available, construction will commence once the assessment stage has been concluded.

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