Local commuters welcomed the resumption of the train service to Strand last week.
According to Zinobulali Mihi, spokesperson for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), the train service from Cape Town to Bellville and Bellville to Strand via Monte Vista as part of the Northern Line has been reinstated following necessary repairs to the network and local station, as part of Metrorail Western Cape’s process of rebuilding damaged infrastructure due to major vandalism during the covid pandemic. “We thank our customers and stakeholders for their patience and continuous encouragement in the service recovery period,” said Mihi.
“Commuters can look forward to a revised and modernised service, which includes new trains, a better Bellville Station and a resignalled network that talks to the expectations of our customers.”
According to a reliable source, the trains started running from Strand Railway Station since Friday (27 October). Trains running from Strand to Cape Town are available three times in the morning on weekdays (Monday to Friday) at 04:10, 06:00 and 07:45, with one at 17:20 in the evening. “Although resumed services are slowly picking up interest from commuters, the 06:00 train proved to be a drawcard, attracting the most passengers,” the source said.
“Commuters have also expressed their gratitude for the affordable mode of transport, for which on average they can expect to fork out a mere R15 for a return ticket.”
Ward 83 councillor Carl Punt said it is reassuring that the train service from Strand is running again.
“The rail transport service has formed a large part of the City of Cape Town’s integral transport system and I sincerely hope that Prasa management can revive it back to the same level again,” said Punt.
“This will bring relief to many commuters, who are already bearing the brunt of high food and fuel prices, in transport costs and also ease the pressure on our roads. The new blue trains will also be safer and Prasa will, in time, better protect their infrastructure. Now let’s hope that commuters will return to rail transport and that this service will remain reliable and improve.”
