EThekwini Municipality Mayor Cyril Xaba has commended the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) for accelerating projects aimed at enhancing passenger rail services in the city.

Xaba, Members of the Executive Committee (EXCO), and PRASA’s top management travelled by train from Durban Station to Umlazi on Friday, to assess the condition of the corridor and the progress being made to modernise the signalling and telecommunications systems.

PRASA is currently undertaking an R11 billion signalling and telecommunications programme across various corridors. The entity is also investing approximately R2 billion in the rehabilitation of the Umlazi Corridor, which carries the largest number of train passengers in the province. Both projects are at various stages of implementation.

Xaba said the signalling and telecommunications programme is expected to significantly improve the safety, reliability, and scheduling of train services.

Upon completion, the project will enable trains to operate at intervals of between three and five minutes, supporting the growth of annual passenger numbers from the current 1.8 million to a projected 10 million.

In anticipation of increased demand, PRASA has already procured 101 new trains.

Next month, PRASA will officially unveil the first of seven sections where signalling has been completed. The first section will cover the corridor between Crossmoor and Havenside, while the second section will cover the Rossburgh to Pinetown Corridor.

Xaba expressed his gratitude to Transport Minister Barbara Creecy and PRASA management for the investment being made to enhance passenger rail operations in Durban.

“This investment is crucial because trains are the most preferred mode of transport for poor and working-class communities,” Xaba said.

He said the revitalisation of the rail network is crucial to building an integrated, safe, and reliable public transport system for the city.

Originally posted on SAnews.gov.za