ActionSA Demands PRASA Account for Missed Deadline to Restore Daveyton Train Station

ActionSA has submitted a Parliamentary Question to the Minister of Transport, requesting an update on the prolonged and unnecessary delays in the restoration of the Daveyton train station, following our oversight visit, which revealed the station in a state of ruin with no visible signs of progress, despite repeated commitments to have it fully operational by October 2024.

On Monday, ActionSA, accompanied by Ekurhuleni Caucus Leader Cllr Siyanda Makhubo and ActionSA Regional Chairperson, Cllr Phillip Dolo, conducted an oversight visit to the Daveyton train station, which revealed the extensive destruction at the station, necessitating significant infrastructure repairs that will undoubtedly be a long-term undertaking.

ActionSA believes that the Department of Transport and PRASA must be held accountable for what is clearly a failure to meet their own commitments. Their inability to adhere to their own deadlines raises serious concerns about the likelihood of the Daveyton train station ever being restored in the near future.

During our oversight visit, we witnessed a literal shell of what the Daveyton train station once was, stripped down to its mortar and bricks. By engaging with the community, we heard first-hand accounts of how residents are now forced to spend up to four times more on transport due to the station’s ongoing closure.

This situation is indicative of government incompetence, and ActionSA is deeply concerned that hard-working South Africans, many of whom can barely afford to put food on the table, are bearing the brunt of the rail system’s collapse.

ActionSA has repeatedly emphasised that rail transport is the backbone of this country’s mobility and when people can travel quickly, affordably, and safely, our economy thrives. We call on the Department of Transport to fulfil its responsibility by not only restoring what has been lost but also by aggressively expanding the rail network.

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