The thesis rethinks the railway infrastructure that historically shaped and divided the urban landscape in South Africa. Furthermore, it aims to reimagine train stations as an urban catalyst for future African cities and mobilities. For the UN Habitat (2009), urban mobility is a key element of sustainable urbanisation in response to social and economic challenges in development countries.

There is more to mobility than just the movement of people from one place to another; it refers to people’s accessibility and connectivity to different urban environments and opportunities. The thesis focuses on the vandalised and abandoned commuter rail stations along the Johannesburg industrial mining belt as a toxic site and acupuncture point for a design intervention.

It is a speculative project grounded within a pragmatic context, presenting a thought-provoking scheme towards the reimagination of future rail infrastructure and African mobilities.