Khayelitsha residents were shocked at the rare sight of a train in their area this week.
The train was courtesy of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), who took it for a test drive on the Central Line, which is due to be reopened next month.
On Tuesday, the train made a stop at Nolungile Station, which is being renovated, says Prasa regional manager Raymond Maseko.
“The station was far worse than what we got when we first started rehabilitation, but we are rebuilding the station from scratch from the platforms all the way up.
“We will be running trains on this corridor up to Mandalay Station, and we would have completed this station before the month of June.
“There are only four other stations that we are tackling from Nonkqubela, Khayelitsha, Kuyasa and Chris Hani then we will complete this line.”
He says out of 108 damaged stations in 2020, only 8 must still be fixed.
“Similarly on the Kapteinsklip (line) side, we only have to deal with Philippi, Lentegeur, Mitchells Plain and Kapteinsklip stations.
“From 121 stations, we could only use 13 on 7 July 2020. We have only the 8 outstanding. We are recovering and rebuilding all the way from foundation before we have the trains in here.”
Khayelitsha Development Forum chairperson Monde Nqulwana has welcomed the reopening of the Central Line.
“This is something positive. The train as a public transport is the most economical. It assists the majority of the working class and Khayelitsha has poor and working class.”
Mitchells Plain councillor Ashley Potts agrees and says they are delighted at the progress.
“I will be very excited about it (Central Line) resurfacing so it can help people get to their destination of employment at a cheaper cost.”
Meanwhile, the newly refurbished Cape Town Station was unveiled yesterday.
GVK-Siya Zama successfully completed the redevelopment project despite facing challenges like bad weather and budget constraints.
The 20-storey building has a direct pedestrian link between Strand Street and the Cape Town railway station and featuring a grand entrance galleria.
The development is a mixed-use residential and retail space and includes study hubs for students, football fields, a cinema, and relaxation areas.
GVK-Siya Zama’s Managing Director in the Cape, Chris Maughan, says: “The purpose was to introduce student accommodation in a transport node that could service both UCT, CPUT, and other significant tertiary educational campuses. The project had to be completed in time for the 2024 student intake.”