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Central Line
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	PRASA
Locale	Cape Town, South Africa
Termini	Cape Town Kapteinsklip Chris Hani Bellville
Stations	33
Service
Type	Commuter rail
System	Metrorail Western Cape
Services	3
Operator(s)	Metrorail
Rolling stock	X'Trapolis Mega
Technical
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	Overhead catenary
Route map Legend Cape Town 0:00 0:00 N2 Eastern Blvd Woodstock 0:03 0:04 Esplanade Salt River 0:06 0:07 Paarden Eiland Southern Line 0:09 Ysterplaat Salt River M5 Black River Pkwy Koeberg Road 0:09 Maitland 0:11 Northern Line Monte Vista branch Ndabeni 0:14 Pinelands 0:16 0:15 Mutual Cape Flats Line Northern Line Elsieskraal River 0:20 Langa Bonteheuwel 0:23 0:00 0:23 0:00 Netreg 0:03 0:05 Lavistown N2 Settler's Way 0:09 Belhar Heideveld 0:06 0:12 Unibell Nyanga 0:10 0:15 Pentech Philippi 0:14 0:18 Sarepta Northern Line R300 Cape Flats Fwy 0:24 Bellville Lentegeur 0:19 Mitchell's Plain 0:23 Northern Line Wellington branch Kapteinsklip 0:26 Northern Line Stellenbosch branch Stock Road 0:18 Mandalay 0:21 Nolungile 0:25 Nonkqubela 0:28 Khayelitsha 0:32 Kuyasa 0:38 Chris Hani 0:44 This diagram: view talk edit

The Central Line is a commuter rail service in Cape Town, South Africa, operated by Metrorail Western Cape. Central Line services operate along two routes from central Cape Town to Langa, and then along three branches from Langa to various areas in the south-east of the city. The first branch runs to Mitchell's Plain, the second to Khayelitsha, and the third passes through Belhar to terminate in Bellville.

Route

Central Line trains depart from Cape Town station on one of two routes. The first route runs along the original Cape Town–Bellville main line through Salt River to Maitland, and then branches south to pass around the western and southern edge of Pinelands to Langa station. The other route runs along the relief main line past Paarden Eiland and then branches south through Kensington to Mutual station; from Mutual it runs along the eastern edge of Pinelands to Langa.

From Langa station all trains pass through Bonteheuwel station; some continue east through Bishop Lavis and Belhar, passing the University of the Western Cape before turning north and then west to terminate at Bellville. Other trains branch south after Bonteheuwel, passing Manenberg and Gugulethu to Philippi station. From Philippi, one branch passes south through Mitchell's Plain to terminate at Kapteinsklip station, while the other passes south-east through Khayelitsha to terminate at Chris Hani station.

Most trains to Mitchell's Plain use the Salt River route from Cape Town to Langa, while most trains to Bellville or Khayelitsha use the Mutual route, but there are some exceptions.

Station listing

The Central Line serves the following stations:

Operation

The line is made up of 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) track, electrified with 3,000 V DC overhead catenary; all parts of the line are at least double track. Services are operated mostly by electric multiple units of Class 5M2 and (on the Khayelitsha line) Class 8M.

Current situation

After 2011, PRASA was increasingly unable to maintain the line and the Khayelitsha line ceased operation in 2019 due to vandalism and metal theft. More recently, plans to reopen it have been thwarted by squatters occupying the railway territory. It is proposed to re-open the line by December 2022, though many previous deadlines have been missed. Rail workers attempting to restore the line have been assaulted by armed gangs.

References

1. ^ "Timetable: Cape Town to Langa - Lavistown - Kapteinsklip - Khayelitsha" (PDF). Metrorail Western Cape. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
2. ^ "2010 Local passenger rail routes of South Africa: Western Cape: Cape Town" (PDF). Metrorail. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
3. "New trains for Khayelitsha residents". West Cape News. 11 June 2009. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
4. Petersen, Tammy. "Nearly 8 000 living on or around Cape Town's central train line - Metrorail". News24. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
5. Payi, Bulelwa. "Prasa outlines plan to reopen the Central Line". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
6. Payne, Suné (18 January 2022). "GETTING BACK ON TRACK: Cape Town's Central Line rail repairs could come to R2.5bn — Prasa chief". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
7. Payne, Suné (15 May 2022). "PRASA BACK ON RAILS? : Informal settlements on Metrorail tracks still hinder progress on Cape Town's Central Line". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
8. Washinyira, Tariro (27 July 2022). "Will Cape Town's Central Line open in December? Mbalula says so…". GroundUp News. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
9. GroundUp, James Stent for (24 February 2022). "GROUNDUP: OFF TRACK: Prasa says Cape Town Central Line only to return to service in December 2022". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
10. Reporters, Daily Maverick (4 September 2022). "GANGSTERISM: Thugs 'with AK-47s threaten us, take our children's food' – worker in Cape Town train line extortion saga". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 6 September 2022.

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Cape Town • Outline

• Metrorail (South Africa)
• Railway lines in South Africa
• 3 ft 6 in gauge railways in South Africa