RESTORE SUNDAY SERVICES ON THE CENTRAL LINE IN CAPE TOWN

URGENT DEMAND FOR SUNDAY TRAIN OPERATIONS ON THE CENTRAL LINE

We, the undersigned residents, commuters, workers, students, and members of civil society of Cape Town, submit this petition with great concern and with unwavering resolve.

For years, the people of the Cape Flats - Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain, Gugulethu, Langa, Bonteheuwel, Nyanga, Philippi, and many more - have depended on the Central Line as their lifeline. It is the busiest line, the backbone of Cape Town, and a major contributor to PRASA's revenue. Yet today, this line remains closed on Sundays. This is unjust, uneconomic, and undignified.

This is what makes this crisis sad and deeply wrong, the train is the ONLY mode of public transport in Cape Town that does NOT operate on a Sunday. Taxis operate on Sunday. Buses operate on Sunday. Even MyCiTi operates on Sunday.

But the train - the most affordable, the safest for the poor, the mass mover of our people is silent on Sunday. This is a shame. It is discrimination against the working class who cannot afford alternatives. While those with cars and money move freely, the poorest are left stranded in their townships. How can the cheapest mode be the only one that is closed when people need it most? The closure punishes: Workers who must work on Sundays - domestic workers, security guards, nurses, retail workers - forced to pay R80-R150 for taxis, more than their daily wage. Churchgoers, families, and the elderly who cannot visit loved ones or attend services with dignity. Students and youth seeking opportunities on Sundays who are stranded. 32 years into democracy, our people still cannot move freely in their own city on a Sunday? Is this freedom? 

This petition is not just about trains. It is about dignity, economy, and justice. Transport is a constitutional right. Denying Sunday service is denying access to worship, family, health, and community life. We demand a service that respects the working class.

We demand that PRASA and Metrorail Western Cape IMMEDIATELY restore full Sunday operations on the Central Line within this year as a matter of high urgency and engage commuter forums and civil society in a transparent recovery plan for the Central Line monthly.

In CONCLUSION The Central Line carried this city through apartheid. It carried workers, activists, and learners. Today, it must carry our future. We will not accept excuses about operational constraints while our people pay the price. We will not accept that taxis and buses are the only option on Sundays. The people of Cape Town deserve better. They deserve reliable, affordable, safe, and dignified public transport, 7 days a week. Open the Central Line on Sundays. Restore service. Restore dignity. Restore justice