In a city with limited space for roads and a population expected to double in the next 30 years, rail could be the backbone for public transport. But for Cape Town’s daily commuters this has not been the case for about a decade.

The city’s rail service has almost collapsed, according to some experts. The central line, which serves the low-income areas of Langa, Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha, used to be one of the busiest. Once it had 171 trains carrying about 230,000 passengers a day, but now it no longer runs at all...

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