Cape Town is making bold strides to reclaim control of its rail system, moving closer to becoming South Africa’s first city to take charge of passenger rail operations.
The metro has submitted a Rail Business Plan designed to pave the way for the devolution of rail from national to local government, a move that could transform the city’s transport landscape.
The plan, which will go before council on 4 December, outlines how the city could assume responsibility for running commuter rail services, as per Moneyweb. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says the proposal places Cape Town ‘at the front of the queue’ to lead South Africa’s rail reform, aligning with the country’s Constitution and the National White Paper on Rail.
That 2022 White Paper recognised that local government should manage commuter rail and called for the development of a national devolution strategy. Hill-Lewis argues that municipalities are better placed to deliver transport systems that connect seamlessly across different modes, creating a unified network for residents.
However, the business plan makes it clear that success depends on financial backing from the national government. The mayor has emphasised that the City cannot fund rail operations through local rates alone, saying there is ‘no room within the rates base to cross-subsidise rail’.
Instead, Cape Town is seeking long-term national grants, authority to set fares, and permission to generate local income through public-private partnerships. Hill-Lewis has urged Transport Minister Barbara Creecy to honour her commitment to finalise the National Rail Bill and Rail Masterplan by the end of 2025, key steps needed to formalise the City’s involvement.
The Department of Transport is currently drafting the National Rail Bill, which will govern the sector countrywide. Meanwhile, the upcoming Rail Masterplan will act as a 30-year roadmap for infrastructure upgrades, funding, and network expansion.
Hill-Lewis says the next milestone is council approval to begin direct talks with the national government about devolving authority and securing funding for a ‘high-quality, integrated public transport system’ in the metro. He believes that Capetonians urgently need a more reliable, affordable, and connected rail service that links with buses and taxis through a single ticketing system.
For devolution to work, however, the city insists that the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) and the national government must first restore the network to 2012 operational standards before what the City calls the ‘steady collapse’ of rail services.
Rob Quintas, the City’s mayoral committee member for Urban Mobility, says Cape Town intends to expand its rail system once control is transferred, beginning with a new Blue Downs link connecting Kuils River, Eerste River, and Mfuleni. Further extensions are being considered, depending on future fiscal support from the national government.
The business plan follows years of groundwork, beginning with an inception phase and feasibility study in 2023, followed by a comprehensive evaluation of institutional models in 2024. Council gave the green light for the preferred model in December 2024, leading to the formal drafting of the business plan in early 2025.
This rail devolution initiative is part of Cape Town’s wider strategy to gain more decision-making powers from the national government. Alongside rail, the city is also pursuing greater control over policing and port management. In its 25-year development plan published in July, the metro argued that more autonomy would help it deliver services more efficiently and maintain long-term financial sustainability.
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