Transport minister Fikile Mbalula has officially opened the Pienaarspoort to Pretoria rail corridor whose services were suspended in May.

Mbalula took the train from Pienaarspoort, east of Pretoria, to Pretoria Central in the inner city to mark the beginning of October Transport Month.

The Passenger Rail Agency of SA  (Prasa) ran a diesel-powered train along the corridor providing a full day service to commuters before services were suspended to allow for the fixing of infrastructure.

However, the reopened line which uses the brand new blue trains known as Isitimela Sabantu, will offer a limited service from 4am to 8pm as the signalling system has not yet been completely fixed. To provide this service, two trains run throughout the day operating on a manual system with the driver communicating with someone in the control room.

“Things are changing. From a broke place that Prasa was, we are moving out of that space slowly and with decisiveness. I am very happy today as you can see that this work that the president spoke about is being undertaken with great care," Mbalula said.

“The trains are coming back, corridor by corridor. This line was up but collapsed at the hands of Prasa. I believe that this will not collapse.”

The government introduced the restoration of rail corridors in April 2021 after infrastructure was vandalised and looted as there was no security just before the beginning of the lockdown in 2020. As the government implemented the lockdown, vandalism got worse, forcing the agency to shut down most of Gauteng's rail lines.

Mbalula used the launch of Transport Month to announce that the government will be introducing new smart driver's licences.

“We are going to have a new driver's licence. It will be proper stuff. It will look like your ID card which will be a smart driver's licence. We are going to be introducing it. The long turnaround time for driver's licences will be something of the past. We are starting by correcting what is happening at the Driver's Licence Testing Centres – removing long queues,” he said.