Cape Town is pushing ahead with its ambition to become South Africa’s first city to take charge of passenger rail operations, submitting a detailed Rail Business Plan that lays the groundwork for the devolution of rail from national to local government.
The plan, which will be tabled before the City Council on 4 December, outlines how the metro could assume responsibility for managing commuter rail services – a move that Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says puts Cape Town “at the front of the queue” to lead South Africa’s long-awaited rail reform.
“Local governments are best placed to deliver transport systems that connect seamlessly across different modes, creating a unified network for residents,” Hill-Lewis said.
The devolution proposal aligns with the Constitution and the 2022 National White Paper on Rail, which recognised that municipalities should play a leading role in managing commuter rail and called for a national devolution strategy.
Funding remains key hurdle
While the business plan details the operational and governance framework for a city-run rail service, it emphasises that success hinges on financial support from national government.
Hill-Lewis has made it clear that the City cannot fund passenger rail from local revenue alone:
“There is no room within the rates base to cross-subsidise rail,” he said, calling for long-term national grants, fare-setting authority, and permission to generate local revenue through public–private partnerships.
The mayor has urged Transport Minister Barbara Creecy to finalise both the National Rail Bill and the National Rail Masterplan by the end of 2025 – key legislative and planning steps to formalise the City’s involvement.
The Department of Transport is currently drafting the National Rail Bill, which will set the framework for the sector across South Africa, while the Rail Masterplan will serve as a 30-year roadmap for infrastructure upgrades, funding, and network expansion.
Rail revival before handover
For devolution to succeed, the City insists that the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) and the national government must first restore Cape Town’s rail network to its 2012 operational standards, before what it calls the “steady collapse” of services in the years that followed.
According to Rob Quintas, the City’s mayoral committee member for Urban Mobility, Cape Town intends to expand its network once control is transferred, beginning with the Blue Downs link connecting Kuils River, Eerste River, and Mfuleni.
Additional routes are under consideration, depending on the availability of future national funding.
Years of groundwork
The business plan follows several years of preparation, starting with an inception phase and feasibility study in 2023, followed by a review of institutional models in 2024.
Council approved the preferred model in December 2024, leading to the drafting of the current business plan in early 2025.
Cape Town’s rail devolution effort forms part of a broader strategy to gain more decision-making powers from national government.
Alongside rail, the metro is pursuing greater local control over policing and port management.
In its 25-year development plan, released in July, the City argued that more local autonomy would enable it to deliver services more efficiently and maintain long-term financial sustainability.
If successful, Cape Town could become a blueprint for rail devolution across South Africa – and a case study in how cities can reclaim control of key infrastructure to better serve their residents.
