Baywest Mall - Apple Express Rail

Rehabilitation and repair of railway lines for 2 custom-built 50-seater, wheelchair-friendly narrow gauge ‘green’ trains (either solar or liquefied petroleum gas-powered), which will run daily along the iconic Apple Express railway line between the city’s beachfront and the R1.7bn Baywest Mall, in the Eastern Cape. Apple Express Rail, is also lobbying Transnet to be allowed the full use of the 285-km line on concession, with plans to not only fully rehabilitate the train track using private funding. The first phase would be to repair and service the line up to Thornhill. This means that the line leading to Baywest Mall will be ready to offer commuters a service by the time the mall opens in March next year. Both trains would depart from the Port Elizabeth Harbour and from Baywest Mall in the city’s western suburbs every hour, during the week workday, with a special weekend service offered. Including more stops, rehabilitate existing dilapidated stops and even add facilities where such stops are necessary, including the airport, Walmer, Charlo, Lorraine and finally Baywest Mall in Phase 1. Phase 2 would involve extending the service to Jeffreys Bay and beyond, with planned heritage tourism trains and commuter rail services running as far as the Langkloof. All the existing rolling stock requires refurbishment. At the moment the line is not being used at all, as it does not form part of Transnet’s core business, and is a wasted asset. A station had already been included in the plans for Baywest Mall, with the possibility of a tram ferrying commuters a short distance from the station to the mall and back. -33.7096706, 25.51419050000004.