Durban commuters stranded while PRASA and Transnet haggle over repairs
KwaMashu and North Coast lines not operational
The Northern line rail between Thembalihle Station and Duffs Road Station in Durban. Photo: Tsoanelo Sefoloko.
Commuters travelling along the North Coast and KwaMashu lines on the Durban metrorail service have been struggling to reach their destinations because of partial or no services on the routes.
The North Coast line remains completely non-operational for passenger trains. Also not running is the Bluff line from Durban to Wests Station.
According to Amanda Hlakanyana, assistant to Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa’s (PRASA) Durban regional manager, there is only partial service on the KwaMashu line via Greenwood Park, from KwaMashu to Umngeni stations.
Trains run in the mornings till 8:30am, and from 12pm to 7:30pm. But from 16 September, trains will start running during off-peak times too (8:30am to 12pm), said Hlakanyana.
The only other trains running along the KwaMashu line are Transnet Freight Rail diesel trains.
The 2022 floods left the KwaMashu and North Coast lines with only one track, and this cannot be used by electric trains because of rampant theft and vandalism of overhead track equipment, Hlakanyana said.
KwaMashu commuters say they frequently used the trains to get to work in Stanger (the Northern Line terminus), for less than R15. Some have relocated to Canelands informal settlement near Stanger’s industrial area because of their high commuting costs without trains.
Commuters who take the KwaMashu line via Greenwood Park say they sometimes have to use expensive taxi services to get to work because only four trains operate, departing from 4:20am to 8:30am.
When Groundup visited the North Coast line on 11 April, the railway tracks and most stations were badly vandalised. When asked about refurbishment, PRASA told GroundUp that the line is owned and operated by Transnet.
Hlakanyana says PRASA is in talks “at an advanced stage” with Transnet about refurbishing the KwaMashu and North Coast lines. Once an agreement is concluded, repairs will take about 18 months for both lines between Umgeni and Duff’s Road stations.
The other six metro lines are operational with new electrical motor units, according to Sane Msane from PRASA Durban communications.
There is a full service on the Umlazi and Old Main lines, and partial services on South Coast, KwaMashu (via Greenwood Park), New Main, and Crossmoor lines.
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