Metrorail (South Africa)

Metrorail is a company in South Africa that runs trains for people to use when they go to work, school, or other places. It is part of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, which manages most of the train services in the country.

Metrorail has many train stations and tracks in big cities where many people live. These places are called urban areas or metros. In 2025, Metrorail helped millions of people travel—more than 77 million trips were made on their trains.

The Metrorail network has 471 stations and more than 2,228 kilometers of tracks, making it a very big and important way for people to travel in South Africa.

History

Metrorail started in 1996 as part of Transnet, a big company in South Africa that handles trains and ports. Later, it moved to the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA).

In 2025, more people started using Metrorail, with 77 million rides. Many train lines were working well, and people felt safer using the trains again. The leader of PRASA said they had done a good job improving the system.

Operations

Metrorail runs train services in four main areas of South Africa. These areas are the Eastern Cape with Gqeberha as a center, Gauteng with Johannesburg as a center, KwaZulu-Natal with Durban as a center, and Western Cape with Cape Town as a center.

Each area has its own train lines connecting different cities and towns. For example, in Gauteng, trains run from Johannesburg to places like Pretoria and Soweto. In Western Cape, trains go from Cape Town to areas such as Simon's Town and Stellenbosch.

Main article: Metrorail Eastern Cape

Main article: Metrorail Gauteng

Main article: Metrorail KwaZulu-Natal

Main article: Metrorail Western Cape

Track and equipment

Metrorail trains in South Africa run on special tracks that are 1,067 millimetres wide. Some tracks are owned by PRASA, and others are shared with trains that travel long distances or carry goods.

Most Metrorail trains are electric and come in two main types: the 5M2A, made in South Africa, and the 8M, made in Japan. Since 1999, many of the 5M2A trains have been updated with new parts. In 2007, over 300 of these trains were refreshed. The updated trains are now called 10M3, 10M4, or 10M5, depending on the city.

Some trains in the Eastern Cape use diesel power and have ten cars in each set. In total, there are 280 train sets, and each can carry up to 1,800 passengers. In 2013, a company named Gibela won a contract to build 600 new trains, with more to come in the future.

Safety

In the 2000s and 2010s, some people were worried about riding Metrorail trains. They were concerned about crime and accidents, including some serious incidents.

A group called the Rail Commuters Action Group asked Metrorail and the South African Government to spend more money on security. The court said that Metrorail should try to keep passengers safe. However, many people still felt unsafe on the trains.

Sometimes, during protests, people set fire to trains, which could close down some lines. There were also problems with people stealing cables, which stopped some trains from running.

In the 2020s, more money was spent on improving safety and service, which helped make the trains more reliable and safe for passengers.