Cape Town’s long-running bid to take control of passenger rail in the metro has received its clearest backing yet from national government. In the draft National Rail Master Plan, launched by Transport Minister Barbara Creecy on 23 April, the Department of Transport supports the future devolution of urban rail to municipalities as part of a broader plan to rebuild South Africa’s rail system.

The 25-year plan is vast. It covers freight, long-distance and urban passenger rail, stations, security, financing, property, and the management of the rail network. The full price tag is steep: R1.9 trillion in capital spending over 10 years. But for Cape Town, one of the biggest takeaways is that the city’s case to run Metrorail is no longer sitting at the margins. It is now written into a national strategy.

Urban rail devolution moves closer

The draft plan gives immediate priority to freight rail recovery over the next five years. Metrorail networks in Cape Town, Gauteng and eThekwini are listed as the next major priority, with a 10-year timeline for recovery and densification through new lines and interchange hubs. Crucially, this includes reforming PRASA and preparing for the devolution of urban rail to municipalities under a national strategy.

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis welcomed that direction, but said government still needs to move faster. He called on Creecy to finalise the National Rail Bill and the devolution strategy urgently, while pushing for firm deadlines so Cape Town can become the first city to run its own passenger rail service.

City’s vision would reshape commuter rail

Cape Town stands apart because it is the only metro that has already developed a detailed plan for managing Metrorail. That model has now helped shape the draft national plan. It proposes a reconfigured network built around major interchange hubs at Nyanga, Heathfield, Maitland and Kentemade, allowing lines to operate independently and more efficiently.

The seven main lines proposed for Cape Town would reduce line-sharing and allow trains to run at much higher frequency. In theory, trains on the core routes could run every three minutes, with concession opportunities for private operators. The city says the redesign would cut average trip lengths by almost 20%, reduce congestion and expand affordable transport access, especially for lower-income households.

Big costs, but bigger promises

The city argues that working rail could save lower-income households about R932-million a year within an integrated transport system. More broadly, the master plan says South Africa is losing R276-billion a year because of rail failures, including missed exports and higher freight costs from goods moving by road instead of rail.

The plan also makes a bold economic case for investment, saying every R1-million spent on rail could generate R4.35-million in GDP, create eight full-time equivalent jobs and lift household income. There are also annual indirect savings from lower congestion, reduced carbon emissions, less noise and lower policing costs.

For Cape Town, the message is clear: the city’s rail ambitions are now tied to a much bigger national reset. The real test will be whether government can turn a long-term plan into deadlines, funding and trains that actually run.