Waves of neglect risk train safety
Thundering waves and state neglect are threatening an iconic stretch of suburban railway line along the Cape Town coastline.
But concern over eroded ballast propping up the southern peninsula line between Muizenberg and Simon’s Town has so far failed to prompt repairs from the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa).
“If we want people to be on trains they need to have the assurance that they will be safe,” said City of Cape Town councillor Felicity Purchase, who inspected the affected site this week. “We have had train derailments on the southern line before.”
Weathering and wave action appear to have taken their toll on sections of concrete embankment and ballast along the raised line that runs spectacularly just above the high water mark on the western edge of False Bay.
Train schedules are sometimes disrupted by storm surges that send spray or sand over the tracks. Some sections of the reinforced embankment now feature gaping holes immediately adjoining the tracks. A vandalised signal box was also visible when the Sunday Times visited the site.
One St James resident told the Sunday Times he had reported the matter to Prasa at the beginning of 2023. Prasa had acknowledged his concern, but to date there has been no response.
“This is a life-threatening disaster waiting to happen — I can just see a derailed train over the edge in the sea,” said the resident, who routinely walks beside the track on his way for a morning swim.
Purchase said she too had raised concerns about the situation. “Anything at the seaside requires more maintenance,” she said.
Neither Prasa nor the department of transport responded to queries this week.
Cape Town has long pushed for oversight over its commuter rail service due to deterioration, particularly during the initial Covid19 lockdown when parts of the crucial central line linking the Cape Flats to the central business district were occupied.
Security aboard trains has since been improved, and some coaches upgraded, but vandalism and a maintenance backlog remain challenging.
The government’s revised white paper on national rail policy makes provision for the devolution of commuter rail services to local government, but the process appears to have stalled.
At the release of the white paper in May 2022, then transport minister Fikile Mbalula said devolution is a key aspect of improving South Africa’s rail connectivity.
But the City of Cape Town says it is frustrated by the slow pace of reform.
“Functioning rail is the most economical, efficient, reliable and safest mass people mover and it is for this reason that the City of Cape Town embarked on our own rail devolution feasibility study in 2022, with the full blessing of the National Treasury,” said Rob Quintas, the city’s mayoral committee member for urban mobility.
“It is vital for those living in poverty who cannot afford approximately 45% of their earnings to be spent on road transport that trains operate efficiently. It is also vital for the alleviation of congestion, the maintenance and health of our road infrastructure and for carbon emission targets that this service works.
“We have reached our second milestone in our study, and are making good progress in the absence of co-operation from the national department of transport.
“Unfortunately, the southern line, which is operational, is still not at full functionality in terms of signalling and time efficiency and until such time as a workable rail solution is on the tracks, Prasa is responsible for commuter rail, the management and maintenance of the assets (sleepers, etc), and the operations,” Quintas said in response to Sunday Times queries.
The Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry has also called for speedy devolution of rail competency to the city to help stimulate economic growth and job creation. The chamber has also commended Prasa for reclaiming occupied sections of the central line and addressing security concerns.
The national rail network has lost more than 3,600km of railway due to theft and vandalism, according to an estimate by the DA.
Muizenberg residents have tried unsuccessfully for more than six years to get Prasa to fix the famous clock tower at the station, even after raising their own finance and appointing a repair team. The project has been caught up in red tape, and the clock tower has since fallen into disrepair, with the clock stranded in the past.
Fears for commuters using iconic but crumbling Cape Town coastal railway line
This is a lifethreatening disaster waiting to happen
I can just see a — derailed train over the edge in the sea St James resident