Prasa to reopen Pretoria east rail route on Monday

It was easy access to some of the stations along the northern corridor between Pretoria and Mamelodi, east of the capital, as Prasa began its plans to reopen a limited service next week.

Prasa plans to open the corridor between Pretoria station and Pienaarspoort station on Monday, but operating a limited service.

Sowetan visited some of the train stations which are expected to be opened on Monday. The first train will depart Pienaarspoort for Pretoria city early on Monday morning.

Prasa workers were busy preparing for the reopening. The platforms on the stations had already been marked for social distancing and charts mounted at ticket sales points to bring awareness about the deadly coronavirus. However, people from a nearby informal settlement had easy access to the station and the rail line.

The degradation of the line saw taxis and other local motorists habitually drive over it.

Residents at the informal settlements around the station said they were relieved to hear that the train services would resume.

“I am so happy that the trains are coming back. Using taxis is expensive. I spend R11 when using a taxi going to work, while a train costs R7.50,” said Matome Molate.

“The taxis also take a longer time because they go through the suburbs. The train takes about 14 minutes, while the taxi can take up to 40 minutes.”

Molate works in Silverton and disembarks three stations away at Denneboom, Mamelodi West. Denneboom had already marked social distancing on the platforms and also in the vicinity of ticket sales points.

The station is properly secured and no member of the public can access the train without passing through the security checkpoint. The train service will only operate during peak hours and will stop at just eight stations along the route.

-SowetanLIVE