The National Department of Transport will put rail at the centre stage during this year’s October Transport Month (OTM) campaign launch.
During the official launch of the 2022 OTM campaign, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula will showcase the revitalisation, resumption and successes of the Rail Corridor Recovery Programme that was instituted by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) in April 2021. Prasa executed the programme with the intention to recover train services and corridors following vandalism on rail passages such as Pretoria and Pienaarspoort, Pretoria to Kaalfontein, Leralla to Johannesburg, and Naledi to Johannesburg.
Since then, the Pretoria-Pienaarspoort line alone has undergone major reconstruction with the introduction of advanced signalling technology, modernized high-speed circuit breakers, and the use of aluminium wires to counter copper theft. This has led to a successful resumption of train services on the corridor.
Minister Mbalula will also showcase the integratedness of transport services in the Pretoria A train station precinct that covers other public transport modes in the form of busses and taxis and other services around the area.
The Minister will outline the OTM programme for the month and other plans and successes in the transport sector throughout the country. The Vala Zonke pothole eradication programme and road safety plans to reduce the carnage on South Africa’s roads will also be brought under sharp focus.
In order to get a first-hand experience of the recovered rail services, Minister Mbalula will board a train from Pienaaarspoort Station in Mamelodi en route to the Pretoria A Station in the CBD.
The details of the Official Launch of the 2022 October Transport Month Campaign are as follows:
Part A: Train ride on Monday, 03 October 2022
• 06h00: Media to arrive at Prasa House, Hatfield (Rissik Train Station) and park their vehicles.
• 06h10: Media board transport to Pienarspoort for a train ride to Pretoria A Station.
• 07H00- Media and Minister board at Pienaarspoort in Mamelodi en route to Pretoria A Station.
Part B: Community and stakeholder engagement
Date: Monday, 03 October 2022
Time: 08h30 for 09h00
Venue: Pretoria A Station, Pretoria CBD
Source: Government of South Africa