Flood and vandal-damaged Umlazi rail line back on track

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa’s (Prasa) Umlazi line, south of Durban, is back on track after months of restoration work to flood-damaged and vandalised infrastructure.

KwaZulu-Natal Prasa spokesperson Zama Nomnganga told TimesLIVE it is one of the entity’s “cash cows” and usually serves about 40,000 commuters.

Trains on the south and northern lines in Durban have been out of operation since the April floods after infrastructure was severely damaged.

As repairs continue, Prasa has been opening parts of the line since September last year.

“We are extending our services on the Umlazi line since fixing the flood damage. We are  happy to announce the extension from KwaMnyandu to Umlazi. This line was affected by floods, theft and vandalism.”

Nomnganga said ongoing repairs are conducted on weekends.

TimesLIVE