Metrorail Western Cape

Routes

Overall network

Southern Line

Main article: Southern Line (Cape Town)

The Southern Line travels from central Cape town through the Southern Suburbs to Muizenberg, and then along the edge of False Bay to Simon's Town. Although Simon's Town is the southern terminus, many trains terminate at Fish Hoek because the line south of Fish Hoek is single-track.

Cape Flats Line

Main article: Cape Flats Line

The Cape Flats Line travels east from Cape Town as far as Maitland, then turns south through Athlone, rejoining the Southern Line at Heathfield. The service terminates at Retreat.

Central Line

Main article: Central Line (Cape Town)

The Central Line serves areas to the southeast of the city centre. Trains run from Cape Town to Langa on two different routes, one around the southern side and the other around the eastern side of Pinelands. From Langa they travel on one of three lines, going either to Mitchell's Plain, to Khayelitsha, or through Belhar to Bellville.

Northern Line

Main article: Northern Line (Cape Town)

The Northern Line serves the northern suburbs of Cape Town as well as some outlying towns. Some trains travel from Cape Town station to Bellville along the old main line through Salt River, Maitland, Goodwood and Parow, while others travel along the relief main line via Century City. After Bellville, trains run on one of three routes: through Kraaifontein and Paarl to Wellington; via Kuils River and Stellenbosch to Muldersvlei; or Kuils River and Somerset West to Strand.

Two "Business Express" trains provide a luxury commuter service, travelling from the suburbs to Cape Town in the morning and the reverse in the afternoon. One train runs from Huguenot (Paarl) via Kraaifontein and Brackenfell to Cape Town, while the other runs from Strand via Somerset West and Kuils River to Cape Town.

There are also two longer-distance trains stopping at all stations en route daily. One along the main line to Worcester and at 174 km the longest possible route on a commuter train in South Africa. The other is the only diesel-hauled commuter train in the Western Cape to Malmesbury which travels 78 km on the route to Bitterfontein.

Operation

Frequencies can vary vastly from weekday peaks to weekend-off peaks. Services to Simon's Town, Bellville via Century City, Strand, Muldersvlei (via Stellenbosch) and Wellington are less frequent over weekends with a train about every hour on Saturdays and every two hours on a Sunday. In contrast, weekday frequencies on some lines offer three-minute headways.

Every train displays a four-digit train number. The route and destination of a specific train can be determined by just looking at the train number. Up trains travel towards Cape Town and carry even train numbers, down trains travel away from Cape Town and carry odd train numbers. Destinations can be derived from the following table:

Infrastructure and rolling stock

During October 2013, a R51 billion (€4 billion, $4.46 billion) contract for the supply of 600 X'Trapolis Mega trainsets, including a local production arrangement, was signed by Alstom and PRASA. During May 2017, 13 trainsets commenced revenue service on Pretoria-based routes, marking the type's entry to service.

• 1095 carriages
• 489 km of track
• 119 stations
• 10400 ha rail reserve
• 320 km of fencing
• 610 km of track (including yards)
• 96 bridges
• 19 foot bridges
• 380 culverts
• 9 km of sea walls
• 830 track points
• 1600 signals
• 1800 track circuits
• 32 relay rooms
• 1500 apparatus cases
• 3 520 block joints
• 610 turn outs
• 560 yards

Incidents

• 13 November 2006 - A train hit a truck stalled on an unprotected level crossing. The truck was carrying at least 33 farmworkers; nineteen were killed and six were injured.
• 25 August 2010 - A train hit a minibus taxi that had allegedly driven around the boom barriers on a level crossing. The minibus was carrying fourteen schoolchildren, of whom ten were killed.
• 20 October 2015 - Western Cape Metrorail reported this morning that four motor coaches and six carriages were destroyed in a fire in the early hours of Tuesday.
• 15 April 2016 - Trains set alight at Woodstock and Kraaifontein.
• July 2016 - Robbery and murder of train driver at Netreg Station.
• 7 August 2016 - Two Metrorail trains caught alight and burned at the Retreat Station in Cape Town on Sunday afternoon.
• 1 December 2016 - Metrorail has had yet another one of its trains damaged. This time one was set alight at Thornton Station late on Thursday evening.
• 12 June 2017 - Two trains were gutted by fire at Cape Town station.
• 20 November 2017 - Train set alight Century City
• 27 April 2018 - A train hit a bakkie (pick-up truck), killing all 7 people on board. This incident happened in the same place where the 2010 minibus incident occurred, i.e. Blackheath level crossing.
• 22 May 2018 - 4 carriages were burnt
• 30 May 2018 - 2 carriages were set alight - one person was killed and three injured.
• 18 June 2018 - 3 train carriages were burnt on the Southern line. The fire began mid-afternoon at Steenberg Station.
• 24 June 2018 - "At about 19:20 on the 24th June 2018 City Fire and Rescue Services responded in Radu Road in Philippi where three railway carriages were alight"
• 21 July 2018 - Seven coaches, as well as two motor coaches and five trailers were destroyed by a fire. "The estimated cost of the damaged coaches is approximately R30m."
• 26 July 2018 - Five carriages, and overhead power cables were damaged at Retreat Station.
• 21 April 2019 - Two trains were set on fire at Cape Town station.

References

References

1. estimated number according to [https://static.pmg.org.za/PRASA_Annual_Report_202324_Final.pdf], 2024
2. The number of carriages currently is 1094 (according to Rolling Stock a number of wrecks were refurbished as part of the refurbishment programme and at least three complete train-sets were re-allocated from other regions since 2006). The total includes carriages currently being overhauled at contractors
3. (1 April 2012). "Fare Calculator". Metrorail Western Cape.
4. "PRASA Western Cape".
5. (14 October 2013). "PRASA and Alstom sign R51bn EMU contract". Railway Gazette International.
6. (9 May 2017). "X'Trapolis Mega EMUs enter revenue service". Railway Gazette International.
7. Ash, Paul. [http://m.railjournal.com/index.php/africa/south-african-xtrapolis-emus-enter-service.html "South African X'Trapolis EMUs enter service."]{{Dead link. (July 2025)
8. [https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2018-04-27-seven-die-as-train-hits-bakkie-at-crossing/ Seven die as train hits bakkie at crossing] Times Live, published 27th of April 2018, retrieved 11th of May 2025; Archived version [https://archive.today/20250511223452/https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2018-04-27-seven-die-as-train-hits-bakkie-at-crossing/] <= here
9. [https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/seven-people-perish-cape-town-train-crash/ Seven people perish in Cape Town train crash] [[SABC]] (South African Broadcasting Corporation), published 27th of April 2018, retrieved 11th of May 2025; Archived version [https://archive.today/20250511223548/https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/seven-people-perish-cape-town-train-crash/] <= here
10. Pitt, Christina. (18 June 2018). "Three railway coaches set alight at a Cape Town train station". News24.
11. "R30m damage caused by Cape Town train fire".
12. "Another Metrorail train on fire in Cape Town, bringing the number of incidents to five".
13. (2019-04-21). "Two trains on fire at Cape Town train station".