- Prasa has revealed alarming safety lapses with six bridges and four tunnels in poor condition in the Western Cape.
- Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga said in response to a written parliamentary question that a total of 61 bridges and 38 underground tunnels were inspected in 2022, with six bridges recommended for rehabilitation.
- Chikunga said ongoing vandalism poses a significant challenge, with repairs lasting only four months, requiring Prasa to address two to three tunnels monthly.
It will cost the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) almost R60 million to fix six bridges found to be in poor condition while four of its tunnels have been deemed unsafe, raising the alarm for safety lapses in the Western Cape.
Transport minister Sindisiwe Chikunga revealed the state of the infrastructure in response to a written parliamentary question posed by DA MP Chris Hunsinger about safety at Prasa’s sites in the Western Cape as well as how many overhead bridges and underground passenger tunnels on the network had been inspected and deemed unsafe.
Prasa has 61 overhead bridges, excluding those on the central line which remain closed as protracted delays have marred the reopening of the line, which stretches from the city centre to Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain.
It was last fully functional in 2019.
Its prolonged closure and plans to reopen have been overshadowed by continued vandalism and incidents of extreme violence.
“Six bridges were recommended for rehabilitation due to their poor condition,” Chikunga said.
This was the finding after an inspection of all 61 in 2022.
Prasa has a total of 38 underground passenger tunnels.
Chikunga confirmed that four are not functional and deemed unsafe.
Hunsinger also asked what is the estimated cost of fixing all overhead bridges and underground passenger tunnels on the Prasa rail network that are currently in need of repair.
Chikunga said the estimated price tag for the bridges alone is R59 million.
She said:
Repairing underground tunnels is R75 000 per tunnel and R300 000 for the four underground tunnels that are currently non-functional. In the 2023/24 financial year, to date, Prasa has incurred costs of R500 000 in repairing underground tunnels.
Chikunga added that she was concerned by the ongoing vandalism of underground tunnels.
“Each month, there are two to three underground tunnels that Prasa has to repair due to repeated vandalism,” she said.
MEC for Mobility Ricardo Mackenzie found the state of affairs unacceptable.
“Overhead bridges and underground tunnels are as important as the state of the railway lines themselves,” he said.
“If these facilities are unsafe, people will not use the rail system. Our communities deserve safe and dignified public transport with safe and dignified access to the trains.”
© News24