Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has rejected suggestions to decentralize passenger rail services, maintaining that the country cannot support a Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) for each province.
Creecy delivered the department’s budget vote in Parliament on Monday.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has been pushing for the transfer of rail services management from PRASA to local entities like metropolitan authorities, attributing the deterioration of the national passenger rail network to PRASA’s mismanagement.
Despite this, Creecy indicated the existence of a preliminary strategy for devolution and acknowledged the importance of involving local and provincial governments in transport planning.
“The question we have to look at is the affordability and what we don’t need in this country is nine PRASAs,” she explained.
Creecy also addressed concerns about the feasibility of such a move: “We will have to look at practicalities [and] affordability. I’m told that internationally it’s not normal to devolve railway practices.”
Additionally, she reported that PRASA is progressing in its efforts to restore services, with 28 out of the 40 priority passenger rail lines now fully operational.
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