Remarks by the Minister of Transport, Ms Barbara Creecy, MP, at the Mabopane rail service recovery visit
Programme Director;
Representatives of provincial and local government;
The Board, management and employees of PRASA;
Representatives of organised labour, community organisations and the transport sector;
Members of the media;
Ladies and gentlemen;
Good morning.
It is a privilege to be in Mabopane during October Transport Month. This month invites us to reflect on how South Africans move, and on what public transport makes possible in their lives. Few places offer a better vantage point than this line, which has carried the hopes and the frustrations of commuters for many years. I have come to assess the progress made in restoring the Mabopane rail services. I have also come to listen. Our measure of success lies in the journey as commuters experience it, from the moment they arrive at the station to the moment they reach their destination.
|For a commuter, a working railway offers more than a seat on a train. It makes it possible to reach work on time, attend classes, keep a medical appointment and return home safely. Affordable transport also allows a household to keep more of its income for food, education and other essentials. That is why passenger rail matters to this government. It connects communities to opportunity, and it narrows the distance between where people live and where they earn a living. Ladies and gentlemen, We acknowledge the hardship that disruption has caused. When trains were unavailable or unreliable, commuters carried the cost through longer journeys, additional fares and lost time. Restoring these services forms part of our responsibility to the communities this railway serves.
|On 18 March 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa shared that frustration first-hand, when he was delayed for several hours on this line. That experience brought national attention to the conditions commuters faced, and it helped to drive the investment that followed. It remains an important point of reference today. Our task is to judge whether that investment has produced a journey that is more reliable, more comfortable and more dignified. The road back has required patience. A limited diesel service between Mabopane and Pretoria returned in November 2020. Services resumed in January 2022, and services to Belle Ombre followed in July 2023, with further expansion since. Each milestone marks progress.
The daily experience of the commuter remains the true test of that progress. Ladies and gentlemen, Behind this recovery lies a substantial public investment. On the Pretoria, Mabopane and De Wildt corridor, PRASA has invested approximately R801.6 million in overhead electrical equipment, substations, signalling and telecommunications. The work includes 163 kilometres of overhead equipment and the refurbishment of 14 substations. Several facilities had to be rebuilt after extensive vandalism before electrical work could begin. The railway that has emerged is also more capable than before. Traction transformer capacity has increased, and upgraded feeder wires now carry more current. Together, these provide the electrical foundation for additional trains as the rest of the system is readied. Modern installations use less copper, which makes them less attractive to thieves, and containment structures around transformers help to guard against oil spills.
Across Gauteng, the programme has completed 865 kilometres of overhead electrical equipment, recovered 51 substations and rehabilitated 187 kilometres of track. It has also created 4,619 jobs in the province. On this corridor, 150 local workers were employed, and local small businesses took part in security, electrical and civil works, plant hire and other services. We thank every worker and every enterprise whose effort has helped to return this infrastructure to service. Ladies and gentlemen, The results of this work are visible in the service itself. In 2020/21, the Mabopane to Pretoria service ran 613 train trips. By 2025/26, it ran 11,144. Together with Belle Ombre, the Mabopane services delivered 17,886 train trips in 2025/26, up from 13,087 the year before. That represents growth of about 37 per cent.
The current service plan provides 81 daily trips: 57 between Mabopane and Pretoria, and 24 between Mabopane and Belle Ombre. At peak, Pretoria services run at intervals of about 23 minutes. Belle Ombre services run less frequently, and commuters on each route deserve clear information so that they can plan their journeys with confidence. Passengers are returning. In 2024/25, the combined Mabopane services carried approximately 5.2 million passenger trips. In 2025/26, that figure rose to approximately 7.1 million, growth of about 36 per cent. Up to September this year, the services have recorded close to 5 million passenger trips and more than 10,400 train trips. Behind each of these journeys stands a person: a worker, a student, a parent, a commuter returning to rail as the service becomes more dependable.
Our task is to earn their confidence, and to keep it. Reliability lies at the heart of that confidence. On the Mabopane to Pretoria service, punctuality currently stands at about 97.5 per cent, with cancellations at 0.7 per cent. On the Belle Ombre service, punctuality is about 99 per cent, with cancellations below one per cent. Customer satisfaction has risen to about 77 per cent. We welcome this progress. It also reminds us to keep listening, both to what passengers value and to the difficulties they still face. Safety, cleanliness, station access and clear information all shape the journey. When a train is cancelled, the passenger deserves timely announcements, accurate information and practical assistance.
Ladies and gentlemen,
What has been rebuilt must now be protected. PRASA is constructing a protective barrier along the Mabopane corridor. It combines 3.5 metre concrete walls and steel mesh fencing with highsecurity gates and further perimeter measures. Three work packages cover the route from Mabopane through Kopanong to Mountain View, and from Pretoria Station to Wolmerton. The programme spans some 58 kilometres, with a combined contract value of approximately R1.04 billion. Close to 37 kilometres have been installed, and the programme stands at about half of its overall scope. It has employed 284 members of the local community and engaged 22 small businesses.
The walls are designed to limit unauthorised access, reduce theft and vandalism, and improve safety for passengers and staff around stations, platforms and crossings. They also lay a foundation for surveillance, monitoring and emergency response. Physical barriers reduce risk, although they cannot remove every hazard. Their value depends on secure access points, surveillance, enforcement and the daily discipline of everyone who works on this railway. We appeal to communities to help protect this public infrastructure, and to report theft and vandalism. When equipment is stolen, the loss reaches far beyond the asset itself. Services are disrupted, public money must be spent a second time, and commuters lose a service on which they depend. PRASA, for its part, will continue to work closely with law enforcement to act on these reports.
Ladies and gentlemen, Transport Month also asks us to consider the network as a whole. A commuter's journey seldom ends at the platform. We must therefore make it easier to reach stations and to complete the journey beyond them. This calls for close cooperation with municipalities and other operators on safe pedestrian access, and on connections with buses, taxis and other services. The same thinking guides PRASA's long-distance services. This month, 17 new MAN coaches are entering service in the City to City fleet. They are the first new long-distance coaches since 2010.
They follow a difficult restructuring of the long-distance bus operation, in which management, organised labour, the PRASA Board and the Shareholder each played a part, and many sacrifices were made. A further 30 coaches are planned for 2027/28 and 48 for 2028/29, bringing the programme to 95 modern coaches, with fleet renewal planned for completion by 2030. The operation is designed to run on a ring-fenced basis and to sustain itself financially. The new coaches carry advanced safety technology, including lane assistance, following-distance monitoring and stability systems. Drivers will be supported through monitoring and targeted training, and a control centre will oversee incidents on route. Over time, these services are intended to work alongside long-distance rail, offering families an affordable and dependable way to travel between cities, towns and rural communities. Whether on a suburban line or a long-distance route, our purpose remains the same: safe, reliable and affordable public transport that connects people to opportunity.
Ladies and gentlemen, Our work at Mabopane remains unfinished. Stations identified for further attention, including Soshanguve and Wonderboom, require coordinated work, so that any return to service takes place with the necessary infrastructure, safety arrangements and operational readiness in place.
The timetable should respond to how people travel. PRASA will examine demand at individual stations and at different times of day, and use that understanding to improve the service within available capacity. Maintenance deserves the same attention as recovery. Track, electrical equipment, trains and stations require planned care, supported by skilled people, suitable tools and timely materials. Repaired assets should never be allowed to deteriorate because routine maintenance has been deferred. Accountability must also remain visible. PRASA's management will continue to monitor punctuality, cancellations, passenger growth, maintenance delivery and station readiness, and to act wherever service falls short.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I thank the PRASA teams, organised labour, contractors, local businesses and community partners who have contributed to this recovery. Above all, I thank the commuters of this corridor for their patience through years of disruption, and for returning to the railway as its services return to them. The progress on this line shows what sustained investment and committed people can achieve. Our responsibility now is to preserve those gains and to extend their benefits to more South Africans. Let us ensure that the recovery we recognise today is felt each day by the passenger waiting on the platform.
I thank you.
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