New Philippi MyCiTi station will be bigger than Cape Town Central

Announcing the plan, Executive Mayor Patricia de Lille gave details of how the City hopes to use the intersection of six MyCiTi routes on the corner of Eisleben Road and Govan Mbeki Road as a catalyst to spark development in the area.

The MyCiTi station to be constructed at the intersection will be larger than the Civic Centre station in the Cape Town CBD in terms of the number of trunk bus docking platforms. This station is expected to attract thousands of commuters. It is anticipated that the project will act as a catalyst for renewal of the area in terms of the City’s new Transport-Oriented Development (TOD) strategy.

PEDI CEO Thomas Swana said he welcomed the announcement of a vision that would take Philippi forward. “It is exactly this kind of catalyst that PEDI has been working to achieve to stimulate development in the area,” he said. “We are delighted that the City shares this vision.”

Mayoral Committee member for transport Councillor Brett Herron issued a statement announcing that over the next five years major construction projects would be undertaken in preparation for the roll-out of Phase 2A of the MyCiTi service to the metro-south east.

“The City wants the MyCiTi station in Philippi East to be much more than a transfer hub for commuters – we want to turn this area into an interactive space where commuters can shop, socialise, and do business.

“A good comparison would be to imagine the MyCiTi station in Philippi East as what you would experience at any airport while you are waiting for your flight: while you wait for the bus, you can shop or socialise within the station building. Adding to this, we also need the surrounding public and private developments in Philippi East to be integrated with the public transport infrastructure; to provide MyCiTi commuters with outdoor and indoor activities; and to create housing opportunities,” he said.

Councillor Herron described his vision of the interchange as follows:

“So how do we intend to do this? Imagine a double-storey MyCiTi station with glass panels – modern and sunlit – with commuters strolling inside. See the buildings, possibly shops and restaurants, on top of this station, made possible by the air rights allocated to developers to build new developments above the station building.

“Imagine shopping centres and office buildings on either side of the station and commuters accessing the station via an air bridge crossing Govan Mbeki Road. Envisage the stormwater retention pond nearby as a small lake or waterfront, filled all year to cater for water activities and other social amenities. Picture the new affordable and mixed-income housing developments, parks and squares surrounding the waterfront.

“Visualise this precinct five years from now: see the MyCiTi buses driving along the dedicated red road towards the station while the other traffic travels on the elevated Govan Mbeki and New Eisleben Roads; see how transport, living, working, socialising, shopping and fun are integrated and interconnected within one area.”

The Metro Southeast area is one of five nodes in the City that will benefit from the City’s new TOD strategy. The others are Bellville, Athlone, Paardevlei, and the Cape Town central business district.

An artist’s impression of the new MyCiTi station on the corner of Eisleben Road and Govan Mbeki Road in Philippi, which will be bigger than the Civic Centre MyCiTi station in central Cape Town.

Six MyCiTi routes will converge on the new station in Philippi when Phase 2 of the public transport system is completed.