Pretoria's trains are back, and riders are returning
PRASA has rebuilt 865km of overhead power lines and 51 substations in Gauteng. Passenger trips grew 36% in a year, and Pretoria trains run 97.5% on time.
Pretoria — Passenger trains are running again on Gauteng lines that were stripped by theft and vandalism, and the numbers show people are coming back, SAnews reports.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy visited the Mabopane line north of Pretoria on Thursday, during October Transport Month.
What has been rebuilt
Across Gauteng, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) says it has:
- completed 865 km of overhead electrical equipment
- brought 51 substations back into service
- rehabilitated 187 km of track
- created 4,619 jobs doing the work
On the Pretoria–Mabopane–De Wildt corridor alone, about R801.6 million went into overhead lines, substations, signalling and telecommunications; some facilities had to be rebuilt from scratch.
The riders
- Passenger trips rose from about 5.2 million in 2024/25 to about 7.1 million in 2025/26, up 36%.
- Train trips between Mabopane and Pretoria rose from 613 in 2020/21 to 11,144 in 2025/26.
- Trains run about 97.5% on time on the Pretoria route and about 99% to Belle Ombre, with cancellations under 1%.
- Customer satisfaction stands at about 77%.
Protecting it
PRASA is building 3.5-metre concrete walls, steel-mesh fences and secure gates along about 58 km of the corridor, at a cost of about R1.04 billion. About half is done, with 284 local people and 22 small businesses employed.
Ms Creecy said the rebuilt power system is the foundation for running more trains, but that walls alone cannot stop every risk, and urged communities to report theft and vandalism.
Source: SAnews, PRASA restores Gauteng passenger rail services, 16 October 2026.
