Mbalula: Govt exceeded rail recovery targets for 2022
Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula says the rehabilitation of 13 rail corridors have exceeded the target it set itself at the start of the year.
Mbalula spoke during an oversight visit of the newly restored Naledi to Johannesburg corridor on Thursday morning.
The line is the 13th corridor recovered in 2022, which exceeds the initial target of 10 priority corridors.
“The recovery of the Naledi line is a major achievement, considering the role of commuter rail in bridging the gap between dormitory townships and centres of economic activity,” Mbalula said.
“Commuter rail plays an important role in unwinding apartheid spatial planning that located the majority of our people away from their workplaces.”
Mbalula said recent vandalism and destruction of the rail network was a major setback for passenger rail agency Prasa’s modernisation programme.
“Today, Prasa is operating 16 corridors. In 2015, Prasa was moving over 500 million passengers per annum. This number dropped to a little more than 200 million in 2019/2020, dropping further to 17 million in 2020/2021.
“The rehabilitation work, which also gives impetus to the modernisation programme, will undoubtedly reclaim the commuter rail market share.”
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