Gqeberha:Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, has officially reopened 10 refurbished train stations across the Eastern Cape, marking a significant milestone in the government's efforts to rebuild passenger rail infrastructure that was vandalized during the COVID-19 hard lockdown.
According to South African Government News Agency, seven of these stations are located along the KuGompo corridor, while the remaining three are in Gqeberha. During an oversight visit to the East London Rail Corridor in KuGompo City, the Minister announced that the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has invested R115 million over the past two financial years to upgrade these facilities.
The upgrades were executed through PRASA’s National Station Improvement Programme and included comprehensive renovations such as rebuilding structures, restoring essential services like water and sanitation, and improving security measures with access control and CCTV systems. Additionally, tactile surfaces and markings were installed to assist visually impaired passengers.
Creecy highlighted the economic benefits brought by PRASA’s investment, which created 171 direct jobs, involved 27 local small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs), and appointed ten Community Liaison Officers. PRASA also established three-year agreements with local cooperatives for station cleaning and maintenance.
Commuter confidence has surged, with passenger numbers doubling from over 630,000 in 2024/25 to more than 1.2 million in 2025/26. PRASA achieved an on-time performance rate of 94.2% and limited trip cancellations to 4.13%. Safety improvements have enabled an increase in the speed limit on the Berlin to East London line, from 30 km/h to 60 km/h.
The Minister urged communities to protect the restored railway assets and emphasized the ongoing responsibility of PRASA to upgrade the remaining 18 stations in the Eastern Cape, with the goal of restoring pre-COVID-19 service levels.