PRASA's Comeback: Passenger Trips Jump From 10 Million to 101 Million

PRASA's Comeback: photo pixelbay

South Africa's commuter rail is coming back. PRASA's passenger trips have risen from about 10 million in the 2020-21 financial year to an audited 101 million by the end of 2025-26, a tenfold increase, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said at the launch of Transport Month on 1 October, according to The South African.

The agency is also adding a new long-distance bus fleet, and its chief executive says trains could eventually run every five minutes at peak times, if a major signalling upgrade goes ahead.

Key facts

Passenger trips rose from 10 million (2020-21) to an audited 101 million (2025-26).
Creecy was due to visit PRASA's Pretoria Station on Thursday, 15 October, to inspect rebuilding work and launch a new long-distance bus fleet.
Rebuilding has focused on four areas: restoring infrastructure, improving safety, upgrading signalling and making services more reliable.
Group CEO Hishaam Emeran says trains could eventually run every five minutes at peak times.

How PRASA fell

PRASA's commuter services collapsed during the Covid-19 pandemic, while the network was hit hard by vandalism and theft. In 2023, then-CEO Zolani Matthews said the agency faced unprecedented levels of vandalism and sabotage. By 2020-21, annual trips had fallen to about 10 million.

How it is recovering

According to the Department of Transport, the rebuilding has focused on restoring railway infrastructure, improving safety, upgrading signalling and making commuter services more reliable. On the Mabopane Corridor, which links Pretoria with Mabopane, the work includes signalling upgrades, infrastructure improvements and efforts to increase train frequency and safety.

PRASA's blue and white trains, known as Isitimela Sabantu, now run on most of the country's rail network. The department says they are part of efforts to provide a more reliable and affordable form of public transport. Creecy also pointed to progress in the agency's long-distance passenger services, saying "we have also seen significant progress within their Long-Distance Passenger Services."

The October Transport Month visit

Creecy's visit formed part of Transport Month, under the theme "Building a safe, sustainable, reliable and affordable transport system". She was scheduled to visit the Centralised Train Control Centre, inspect rail rebuilding on the Mabopane Corridor and launch a new bus fleet for long-distance services.

Trains every five minutes?

Emeran said trains could eventually run every five minutes during peak periods, but that depends on upgrading the network's signalling system, which he described as a multibillion-rand project. PRASA is still appointing service providers, and the rollout could take about two years after contracts are awarded. That means a five-minute service is a longer-term goal, not an imminent change.

What this means for you

Commuters in recovered corridors are likely to see more trains running, and the agency says its goal is higher frequency and better reliability. Promised improvements like five-minute peaks are still years away.

Long-distance travellers will have a new bus fleet to choose from. Taxpayers should watch how the signalling contracts are awarded, given the multibillion-rand cost.