News24 reports that Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula is adamant that the Metrorail’s Central Line in Cape Town will be fully operational by the end of July this year.
The Central Line serves the largest portion of Cape Town's population and has not been fully operational since closing in 2019. The closure was due to cable theft and vandalism. The occupation of shacks erected on the railway lines in Langa and Philippi have also hampered efforts to restart train services on the Central Line. "I have no doubt that we will meet the deadline to return the Central Line to full service by the end of July 2022, while we continue with the resignalling project," Mbalula indicated on Monday. He was speaking at a press briefing following a whirlwind inspection of the Cape Town Northern Line and the Western Cape Rail Management and Traffic Control Centre in Bellville. "I am satisfied that the infrastructure upgrades are on track to salvage a dilapidated network that has been brought to its knees by criminal conduct. These upgrades will be reinforced by a security model that relies on tight collaboration with law enforcement authorities and intelligence services to ensure effective protection of these public assets," the minister said.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Marvin Charles at News24
- Read too, ‘Around R7 billion' will be spent on improving train services, says Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, at News24
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