Mabopane Rail Commuter Line Upgrade
The Department of Transport (DoT) and the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) are making progress on the R1.4 billion project to restore infrastructure and rehabilitate the Mabopane rail line Corridor, with services between Pienaarspoort and Pretoria resuming on January 17.
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In October of last year, limited services on the Saulsville to Pretoria portion were resumed. On March 30, the Johannesburg to Naledi line will reopen, and the Mabopane rail line will reopen in full by the end of July. Following work to restore and enhance the rail corridor’s infrastructure, the Railway Safety Regulator has issued PRASA a no-objection notice, allowing PRASA to begin operations with its new trains. The initiative has cost more than R700 million, including R255 million spent on 14 substations. More trains will be able to be added to the system as a result of the updated substations, and the copper content has been lowered to make PRASA’s assets less appealing to thieves. According to PRASA, the newly installed traction transformers are also more energy-efficient. A total of R383 million was spent on the installation of 163 kilometres of overhead track equipment, as well as R38 million on the Mabopane perimeter walling and signal equipment rooms.
The Mabopane line, according to Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, had its share of problems prior to the declaration of a state of disaster and required extensive infrastructure modifications before new trains could be deployed. In 2019, the decision was made to shut down the line and hasten the installation of infrastructure modifications. According to him, the first of the new trains will arrive on Monday, January 17. The service got off to a promising start on the first day, despite some teething issues, as 26 trains were planned to run, but only 21 did, and five of them were cancelled, with two cancellations in the morning peak, two cancellations off-peak, and one cancellation in the afternoon peak.
In addition, 13 trains were delayed, with six of them occurring during peak hours and seven during off-peak hours. There were no delays reported during the afternoon rush hour. Technical problems and first-day teething troubles were among the causes of delays and cancellations. Interruptions in power worsened some of the issues. On the first day, 1 208 people utilized the train service. On the second day, all of the technical issues that caused delays and cancellations were rectified, resulting in no cancellations and only a single six-minute delay. Mbalula stated that they were putting steps in place during the reconstruction of the passenger railway lines to guarantee that the newly installed equipment is safeguarded through increased security interventions, including the walling program, to avoid a repeat of the current scenario.
Mabopane Rail Line Station Rehabilitation
The station renovation initiative, which will cost R100 million, has begun for 23 stations. Five stations are currently functioning after modest repairs and improvements were made to bring them back to basic functionality. Mabopane, Pretoria North, Mountain View, Hercules, and Pretoria are the stations in question. Contractors have been hired to renovate an additional six stations, and they will begin work on the sites this week. Soshanguve, Kopanong, Akasiaboom 4, Tailorshoop, Garankuwa, and Dewildt are the stations.
R60 million of the R100 million budget allocated for station modifications has already been pledged, and building work is expected to begin by the end of January. During the course of the year, procurement and construction on the remaining stations will be completed. The Gauteng area includes 16 corridors, with twelve of them designated as priority corridors in need of substantial restoration. Twelve lines in the Gauteng province were extensively damaged, and three corridors have been recognized as vital for recovering commuter train services to regular operations, according to Mbalula.
November 2021
The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) says it expects to reinstate the Mabopane train corridor by the end of the month after it was closed due to infrastructure damage. Last week, Prasa CEO Zolani Matthews stated that engineers were racing against the clock to reopen the corridor by the deadline, which he stressed was a top priority.
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The Mabopane corridor was shut down in November 2019, restored for limited service in November of the previous year, and then shut down again in August 2021 to allow for uninterrupted construction work.
Before it was shut down, some 300,000 commuters utilized the line on a weekly basis.
Works on the Mabopane train corridor
According to Matthews, more than R600 million has been spent on infrastructure repairs, including the restoration of 14 substations along the line. He added that engineers are also renovating 60 kilometres of the railway line, 23 train stations, signalling, and constructing a 100-kilometre precast concrete walling solution with security technologies and eight pedestrian bridges.
According to the agency, the Atteridgeville to Saulsville line will reopen by the end of December, while the GaRankuwa line will reopen early next year.
Other Gauteng lines, including Pienaarspoort to Pretoria and Johannesburg to Naledi, are planned to resume in the following fiscal year, which begins in April 2022.
One of the most difficult aspects of restoring train service in Gauteng, according to Matthews, was ensuring that new infrastructure was preserved.
Treasury provided R900 million to Prasa to solve its security issues.
Rail infrastructure damage and theft have reached historic levels since the outbreak began in March of last year, causing most lines throughout the nation to shut down.
Train passengers who have been forced to rely on taxis and buses claimed the financial impact has been significant.
Paul Soto, the chairman of the United Commuter Voice, stated that the organization did not trust Prasa could uphold its commitments. Commuters, according to Soto, preferred a line that connected more than one metro, such as one that ran from Vereeniging to Soweto, Johannesburg inner city, and Ekurhuleni, since it would get more people to work.
December 2021
Repairs to the Mabopane railway line have made great progress, with employees working around the clock to complete the project. According to the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), the project made significant progress in the latter week of November and early December. The repair of the damaged and stolen overhead electrical cables was a major achievement.
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In August, Prasa began a multi-million rand renovation effort on the outdated network, which, when operational, was utilized by thousands of commuters every day. The repair came after widespread looting and vandalism of facilities and equipment, leaving commuters stranded when trains were grounded accidentally. Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula earlier stated in Parliament that Prasa will employ 5,000 guards from commercial service providers to protect railway infrastructure.
Mbalula stated that the Mabopane corridor and the central line in Cape Town were his primary objectives. Prasa, he added, has put in place a rigorous recovery strategy targeted at restoring and replacing stolen and vandalized infrastructure, including overhead traction equipment, signalling, substations, parkways, and stations. He went on to say that constructing concrete barriers along the designated routes, reinforced with an electric fence, was another way to strengthen security at the stations.
Mabopane Railway Line’s Current Progress
Prasa announced on Wednesday that work on 14 substations had been completed, adding that both old and new trains were operating successfully between Mabopane and Pretoria. According to the statement, the technical team had issued a safety declaration to the Railway Safety Regulator for the rails and electrical systems. The team is now ready to submit the signalling system declaration, which will allow the regulator to grant a ‘no objection notice,’ paving the way for trial runs, off-peak operations, and eventually complete commercial permission to operate the new trains.
Despite missing the end of November 2021 target, Prasa stated the technical team is working extra hours to resume much-needed services on the Mabopane corridor in time for peak demand. In October, the strike in the metal sector, the ensuing rolling power outages, and the unanticipated high rainfall experienced by Gauteng all posed hurdles in restoring network services at various phases of the project. The rain, according to Prasa, caused the project’s completion to be delayed.
