PRASA’s Recovery and Future Vision: Insights from Group CEO Hishaam Emeran at the Railway Safety Conference

Railways Africa Magazine

In this Coffee with the Editor episode, filmed during the Railway Safety Conference hosted by the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) in Cape Town, PRASA Group CEO, Hishaam Emeran, delves into PRASA’s recovery strategy, future plans, and its role within South Africa's broader rail industry.

Hishaam shares insights from his recent trip to China, where he explored digital trends and innovations in rail, including advancements in train control systems and real-time data. A key focus for PRASA is improving its ticketing system, with plans to introduce automated ticketing solutions and then looking towards the future to work closely with transport planning authorities to integrate ticketing across different transport modes.

Hishaam acknowledges that fare evasion now is more controlled with PRASA’s limited service and increased security, but this system is still open so there is the possibility for fare evasion to rise. He highlights the significant achievement of 40 million passengers in PRASA's recovery, though the target is to return to pre-2013 numbers of 500 million passengers annually. Restoring signalling systems across the country is crucial to achieving high-frequency rail services and attracting more passengers and is a key focus area for PRASA.

PRASA is actively involved in high-speed rail projects, with the South African Cabinet approving a high-speed rail framework in December 2023. Priority routes include Gauteng to Durban, Polokwane and Nelspruit, with feasibility studies already underway. PRASA will play a key role in implementing these projects alongside the government.

Leadership stability has been a cornerstone of PRASA’s recovery, with performance improving from 19% to 87% in the last financial year. Despite significant budget cuts of R6 billion over the Medium-Term Framework (MTF) period, PRASA is exploring private sector participation (PSP) for funding key projects, such as depot modernisation. Hishaam emphasises the need for innovative funding mechanisms to overcome these financial challenges.

PRASA is positioned to support the African Union’s goal of making South Africa the rolling stock manufacturing hub for the continent. With its Gibela manufacturing plant, PRASA is exploring opportunities to expand beyond local operations and looking at different technologies. Hishaam also discusses the possibility of leasing PRASA's rolling stock to other African countries, in line with similar initiatives from Transnet Engineering.

As a sponsor of the Railway Safety Conference, Hishaam stresses that safety remains central to PRASA’s operations.