After three years, Prasa has finally reopened the Northern Line from Cape Town to Strand via Bellville.
The Strand train station has been a ghost town for the past three years following the outbreak of Covid-19, which led to theft and vandalism of rail infrastructure.
But now thousands of commuters from the Helderberg basin can make use of trains once again.
Prasa spokesperson Andiswa Makanda says the resumption of the service in Strand marks a significant milestone in their bid to recover the passenger rail network.
Andiswa says: “Since the start of the rebuilding programme, Prasa has restored 26 lines of the 40 restored planned for recovery.
“Trains were already operating from Cape Town to Eersterivier via Bellville, and now the service has been extended to Strand.”
This brings the total number of restored lines to 27, while Prasa has transported over 19 million people to date.
Ward 83 councillor Carl Punt says: “I just hope that the trains will be consistent and that they will keep on running. I want to encourage people to make use of the train service as it comes at a good time before Christmas.”
Prasa also launched their discounted #TravelOffPeak campaign on Sunday, aimed at getting bums on seats.
Meanwhile, the Strand Community Policing Forum (CPF) is on a mission to help keep commuters safe.
Nicklas Thysen, CPF spokesperson, says the CPF will be holding meetings with all safety structures in the area to discuss their concerns.
Andiswa says work is currently underway to rehabilitate the rail infrastructure from Nyanga to Chris Hani and Kapteinsklip. The work is expected to be complete by the end of this financial year.
byron.lukas@inl.co.za