The North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has issued a supervisory order instructing the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) to comply with the safety requirements set out by the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR).

In a statement, the RSR said it had rescinded the suspension notice it issued to Prasa a week ago as a result of the court order on Friday.

The regulatory body communicated its intention last week to revoke Prasa' s safety permit because of a train-to-train collision on October 4 near Van Riebeeck Station in Kempton Park during manual authorisation.

"Compliance with the terms of the court order will henceforth be mentioned under judicial case management by Judge Cassim Sardiwalla," said RSR spokesperson Madelein Williams.

Prasa would be required to comply with the safety requirements prescribed by the RSR and provide periodic feedback to the regulatory body and to Sardiwalla.

The RSR said Sardiwalla described the case as a matter of national importance, "acknowledging Prasa's obligation to ensure safe railway operations for both its workers and the commuters who rely on trains as their main mode of transport". 

Acting RSR CEO Tshepo Kgare welcomed the court order.

"It is the duty of the RSR to ensure that railways are safe, secure and reliable. This order supports the RSR's standpoint that safety must be the number one priority if we are to reduce the number of occurrences on our railways," she said.