The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) says the invite from the Transport Department to the private sector, to partner in the country’s rail revitalisation, is a major milestone.

PRASA CEO Hishaam Emeran says there has been a remarkable turnaround characterised by the recovery of 35 out of 40 corridors. Emeran was speaking on the sidelines of the media briefing in Pretoria by Transport Minister Barbara Creecy unveiling a new Request for Information (RFI) process.

“As the Minister clearly articulated, there are fiscal challenges in terms of availability of funding for service optimization, the modernization programs, and ensuring that we can achieve the 600 million passenger trips come the 2030 financial year. So, we are quite keen to see the outcome of this process of the RFIs.”

[WATCH]
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has outlined plans to involve the private sector in passenger rail, aiming to improve the country’s transport system and drive economic growth. pic.twitter.com/xMDK4o56SD

— SABC News (@SABCNews) October 26, 2025

VIDEO | Private partners sought to revive SA’s rail system