29-05-2025
Cape Town central line recovery created more than 2,500 jobs: Creecy
More than 2,500 jobs have been created during the recovery of the Cape Town central line, transport minister Barbara Creecy said during its official reopening on Thursday.
Creecy said this meant a direct contribution to the local economy.
The central line from Chris Hani to Cape Town city reopened after it shut down for four years due to cable theft and vandalism. Its reopening comes after extensive repair work on stations, substations and overhead traction electrification systems.
The central line is Cape Town's most important rail corridor. It connects the communities of Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain to the Cape Town CBD and Bellville CBD. At full capacity the line contributes 350,000 of Cape Town's 685,900 daily passenger trips.
The process of recovering the central line corridor has so far cost R1.3bn, said Creecy.
The recovery of the line is more than the reopening of a rail line, she said. 'It is the return of dignity, mobility and hope for the working-class people of Cape Town.
'There are now two trains departing Chris Hani Station per hour on the central line. But as we increase our signalling capacity, we hope to run an optimal service where we have six trains per hour.'
'The recovery of the line had lot of challenges, including illegal occupation, vandalism of infrastructure and a grim security environment. Today the train ride from Chris Hani station to Cape Town station is a safe, reliable and modern rail corridor that again connects people to opportunities to work and to education,' she said.
Creecy said the reopening of lines has led to a significant increase in passenger trips nationwide, reaching 77-million over the past year. This figure is projected to reach 123-million this year, indicating a clear trajectory towards the goal of 600-million by 2030/2031.
Creecy said several initiatives are ongoing to ensure the progress made is sustained and accelerated.
'The revised rail bill [Railway Safety Bill] is in the cabinet system and once approved will be released for public comment. The bill will provide much needed clarity on the future of the rail reform process, especially in how it will affect commuters, as well as determining the modalities of possible devolution of certain rail functions.'
