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Cape Town - Public Transport

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#1 ·
The good..the bad...and the ugly.

TRAINS/RAIL













 
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#834 ·
Great read. Ambitious. I'm semi-hopeful.
Profile: Robin Carlisle in South Africa. "A helluva lot of people don’t have cars. I have to look after them"

To move from the unfair and hopelessly inefficient deadlock that is old mobility toward sustainable transport and sustainable cities, we need concepts, dialogues, demonstrations, projects and programs. But none of this is going to happen if we don't have the people: the warm, surely fallible but somehow thoughtful, daring and courageous human beings who are needed to bring all this about.We need more heroes, wouldn't you agree? Our Profiles here on World Streets are intended to remind the world that whenever something good happens, it is because there are real live people behind it. Let's take Robin Carlisle who is working for change in Capetown South Africa for example.

In The Headlights: Street-fighting man

- Profile by Gail Jennings, Editor, Mobility Magazine, Cape Town

In-between drags of his cigarette and stories about bicycle-commuting, Robin Carlisle, MEC for Transport and Public Works in the Western Cape Provincial Government, talks to Gail Jennings about his plans to get the province moving.

MEC Robin Carlisle states his position upfront: he doesn’t intend to change the world. That, he says, belongs in the realms of consultants’ fantasies; he merely intends to change direction, reverse our local trends in transport and re-align them with international trends. This, of course, will change for the better the personal worlds of multitudes of people in the Western Cape.

Current trends in South Africa are more roads, more cars, more congestion; decreasing air quality and increasing road fatalities (particularly pedestrians and passengers); and ‘magic fairy’ solutions appearing in provinces to the north. International trends are moving toward a re-definition of the problem: for as long as we regard long commutes, gridlock and spatial segregation and isolation as transport-problems, we’ll look for transport-related solutions…

The Western Cape, with MEC Carlisle in the driver’s seat, will be somewhere in-between, a damn-sight better place to be than where we are right now. Which is stuck in the traffic, losing time, losing money, and losing opportunities for economic growth and wealth.

Carlisle knows, and supports, the arguments for better spatial planning and densification of Cape Town in particular, which would bring people and work closer together. He admires the work of Jeremy Cronin, Deputy Minister of Transport and outspoken advocate of better land-use planning.

But his mission, his mandate, is to bring people to their places of work, no matter how far away these might be – easily, cheaply, quickly, in greater comfort and with greater dignity. And there’s something ‘Penalosa’ – another transport philosopher he admires – about the way in which he’ll do it, without excessive concern for ensuring his re-election.

‘We’ve set modest targets for modal shifts, but most importantly these signal a change in direction,’ he says. ‘Public transport will become more widespread, more accessible, and there will be a detailed, step-by-step scheme, within the next six months.’ This scheme, he says, ‘will be irreversible by 2014, around the time in which I retire!’



What will we see on the roads?

The nitty-gritty of the Western Cape’s transport plan, and its implementation strategy, has not yet been designed. But the overall philosophy is there: ‘What have I got? What can I add to it? And what can I take away later?’

‘Public transport is like a drowning person,’ says Carlisle. ‘You can’t just pull out a leg or an arm – you have to pull out the whole person. It’s a package, and is best developed sectorally.’

The key to Carlisle and his team’s system is connectivity, and it involves a combination of trunk routes, feeder services – reported in the local press as Bus Rapid Transit – and increased rail services. Funding will arise from the redirection of spend from road-building to public transport.

‘BRTs do have an important role – that of overcoming road-based congestion – but they’re not the magic solution. We don’t need to go and build new BRT roads; we simply need to take road space from private cars. This will come within about four years, you won’t be able to bludgeon your way into the rapid lanes unless you own a tank.’ Carlise leans back, takes out another cigarette and considers his retirement once more…

The formula is this: rail, trunk operators (‘probably buses’) and feeders (‘I see no reason why these can’t be modestly converted Quantums, running to a schedule and enjoying some sort of subsidy.’) ‘Licensed taxi operators don’t have to come into the system if they don’t want to,’ he points out. ‘There’s been no transport master plan so far because no-one wants to bite the bullet that is the taxi industry…’

And this is a bullet that Carlisle has already bitten: ‘These front teeth – I got these replaced after my first collision, on my bicycle on Wynberg Hill. My left shoulder, that was another close encounter …’ (Carlisle commuted by bicycle for more than 17 years, undeterred.)
‘I’m not afraid of the taxi industry, and I’m not going to prescribe to anyone. I need about 50% of the current licensed taxi industry to get the system going, and the smart guys will see the value in it – congestion has already cut some taxi mileage by up to 30%.’​
How is it going to happen?

‘Funding and good managers: that’s what makes any project sustainable, and that’s what we’re going to get. It all starts with National Treasury, the sole conduit for 98% of revenue. This is where you have to contest for funding, and this is where I need to win the funding fight over the R300, for example. That will give us enough money, and if I give 50% to PRASA, this will fix our rail problems…’ The planned extensions to the R300, from Melkbosstrand in the north and to Ladies' Mile Road on the M3 in the south, will cost an estimated R14-billion, which would be better spent on developing public transport infrastructure, says Carlisle.

‘We need to open up the conversation nationally, about how we spend our mobility funds. SANRAL builds good roads, and gives good value for money, but what is the aim? What are we building roads for? Roads, especially periphery roads, are not my priority. A helluva lot of people don’t have cars. I have to look after them.’

In the Western Cape 35% of commuters use rail, suggests Carlisle’s research. ‘Rail knows how to move many people, which is what we need to do. And we do it well: the Fish Hoek to Cape Town line is one of the few in the world that is close to break-even. With a good feeder service, better park-and-ride facilities, and increased hours, this would be a quick way to ease congestion in one area alone.

‘It bothers me that you can’t put a bicycle on a train, even off-peak,’ he says. ‘And yes, we’ll get this done …’ But he cautions the bicycle-activist in me: ‘I’m prepared to look into a package of measures for bicycle commuters [his years of riding were made more pleasant by showers and safe parking at his office], but it’s not a raging priority. In the Central Karoo, with rural roads, bicycles make more sense, but in the city, bicycles are not yet aspirational.’

Carlisle’s focus on Cape Town is because 90% of the actual commuter population of the Western Cape is based here, he explains. Already in Cape Town and surrounds – Stellenbosch, Paarl, Wellington/Drakenstein – ‘all the key elements for better public transport are there; we simply we need the investment.’

George’s mobility strategy, on the other hand, is a ‘test to see if, in one of the few areas outside Cape Town where we have a mass mobility problem, we can find a solution.’ [See Mobility issue 6]. ‘We’re almost ready to kick off – it’s been a slow process of gaining trust,’ he says. ‘Our job is to work with the towns, not put in transport schemes: it’s about community ownership.’
The Western Cape’s ‘modest’ targets
• Increase public transport use to 40% over the next four years
• Improve rail transport
• Provide rapid trunk routes for existing public transport
• Formalise the taxi industry
• Shift 10% of road freight to the rail network by 2014
• Reduce maintenance backlogs by 16% by 2014
• Reduce road accident fatalities by 50% over the next three years
• Continue to support bicycle transport (Shova Kalula) in rural areas​
 
#845 ·
Can the DA deliver? More action or more plans?

Our plan to keep Cape Town moving - Robin Carlisle

Robin Carlisle
08 March 2010

WC transport minister says more road building would be counter-productive

Address to the Cape Town Press Club by Robin Carlisle, Western Cape Minister of Transport, March 8 2010
MY VISION TO CREATE A WORLD- CLASS PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Many things contribute to the creation of a great city/city state. Iconic buildings that organically grace the landscape, such as our new Cape Town Stadium; the abundance of green space and the nurturing of heritage sites in our city are all factors in the unique lyrical construction of a space and a place to be proud of. The beat that uniquely drives all this and makes it work is of course transport.
Today we heard the tragic news that four cyclists were involved in a fatal road accident: three were killed and one is seriously injured. This appalling accident underlines the importance of creating a safe environment for cyclists, pedestrians as well as motorists. Too often, non-motorised transport is overlooked in road safety programmes and creating a public transport system.
My department has begun looking at measures to bolster cyclist safety on our roads. This includes identifying roads with the highest rate of cycling accidents and creating designated temporary cycling lanes on those roads.
The long-term objective is to expand dedicated cycling lanes on all identified major roads in line with international best-practice. The province wants to promote cycling as one of the many ways to reduce traffic congestion, protect the environment and promote healthy living.
As someone who cycled to work for more 10 years I fully understand the hazards cyclist face everyday. Accordingly, I have instructed our legal advisors to examine the prospect of changing traffic laws to oblige motorists to keep a distance of 1.5 metres between themselves and cyclists. This will make it unlawful for motorists to overtake cyclists in the face of oncoming traffic.
I have identified five critical questions that pertain to the development of a cutting-edge public transport system for the twenty-first century.
The first question is: can we reduce road congestion? The answer is an unequivocal "no" until we have an effective public transport system. No city has eliminated road congestion, but many like Stockholm, the European Green Capital of 2010, have significantly altered the manner in which its transport structure works. In 2008, there were 28 percent more bicycle users than the year before and 100 electric car charging stations were installed last year.
In stark contrast, congestion on our roads has now exceeded the tipping point.
The building of new roads and adding more lanes simply breeds more cars. And has never solved the problem of congestion. On the contrary, more roads equals more congestion. This has been the experience of every city that has taken this disastrous and financially ruinous route.
We are currently throwing R2.8 billion at the problem of 'relieving' congestion. In recognition that this is not the road we want to travel, the province has made a policy shift not to build new roads for the next four years. All funds earmarked for new roads in this period will be redirected towards investment in public transport or maintaining existing roads.
Our inner-city absorbs 200, 000 vehicles a day transporting some 275, 000 people. Inevitably this scars our streetscape and creates manmade jungles of unproductive space. Between a quarter and a third of all new buildings are dedicated to parking.
69% of Capetonians travel to work by private car, with a loading of approximately 1.3 persons per car. This is appalling inefficiency and I do not need to spell out the consequences for our fragile environment. In essence, we are going against the grain of city refashioning everywhere and incurring long-term negative effects to the health and productivity of Cape Town
The aim is to move away from a paradigm where cities are wired for the industrial age and reliant on huge amounts of fossil fuels. What we want are cities that have negligible carbon footprints and use less resources. To achieve this, we have to transform the profile of our public transport. This is not only to ensure that our vibrant city survives into the future making it socially mobile, environmentally sensitive and give it a bit of cosmopolitan funkiness, but a rather streamlined sexy appeal in the worldview.
So what are the defining characteristics of such a public transport system?
For one, it is scheduled and reliable. Two, it is frequent during peak time to avoid overcrowding. Three, it is integrated and comprehensive - commuters should not have to walk more than 500 metres to and from their bus, taxi or train. Interconnectivity, that much loved buzzword, is the name of the game. Four, it is safe for the whole trip. Lastly, it is affordable and operates eighteen hours a day. Most importantly, public transport is the fastest and most effective way to overcome the vestige of our apartheid heritage.
What is the current reality? Dismal. Our public transport for the functional commuter area of Cape Town, Drakenstein and Stellenbosch significantly fail to meet any of these characteristics. Even worse is the fact that it is in sharp decline, with fewer trips and at more expense.
We have to ask quite seriously if this scenario could be changed. In answer to this - our current rail and road network is capable of providing an exceptional public transport network. If co-ordinated properly, railways could provide the strong backbone for travel with buses, taxis' and other arterial forms of transport branching off for point to point contact. The railway is already a significant part of many people's lives, but in my opinion could be a much more exciting and viable primary method for Capetonians to get around.
In the development of a redrafted public transport system we have to examine what has gone wrong and trace our steps back to first causes. The apartheid regime for deliberate political purposes created upside down cities with high densities on the periphery instead of the centre, creating the longest and most expensive commutes in the world. Its military exploits diverted money from public transport. Political disintegration led to the collapse of mobility regulation, particularly in the mini bus taxis and freight haulage sectors.
Do we need a new transport plan for Cape Town? No. Every transport planner worth his or her salt knows what is needed. We need to prioritise the upgrading of railways and increase frequencies and extend routes. Watch this space for some creative thinking here. The roads need to become interstitial fillers to feed rail and trunk bus routes to create a complementary and carefully interlocking system. Once this balance is achieved inner-city car use will start to look really unattractive to commuters. In time this make public transport the only reliable option.
There is a fierce and urgent need to implement these refinements and the timescale is now. We need stakeholder participation; we need the collective effort toward a grand and achievable goal. This requires political will, and that is something this government does not lack.
What progress is being made? We are in total agreement that we are not getting nearly enough 'bang for our transport buck'. To remedy this, we will have to eliminate waste and seek new cash flows, particularly from increased integration, new users and advertising.
Failure to recognise the seamless co-ordination and precision needed to achieve our ends will be very career limiting for both politicians and bureaucrats. The city and the province have already agreed that only one system of management, monitoring, tracking, integrated ticketing, and commuter communication will be used.
The province, in keeping with our devolutionary approach, is preparing to transfer regulatory and subsidy operations to the city. In due course, we will establish a Public Transport Operating Entity to manage and co-ordinate all transport modalities.
Above all, the financial chiefs have agreed to the golden rule that we will not commit to capital and operating expenditure which we have not secured or cannot service in the future.
Let me give you a quick tour de horizon of what we need to implement an effective transport system

  • We need 600 to 800 buses. We have them, but their configuration is not ideal.
  • We need 6000 to 7000 taxis. We have more than enough.
  • We need 117 train sets, but we only have 83.
  • We also need the partial incorporation of Dial-a-Ride, the Jammie Shuttle, the school bus service and the hospital transport service.We are also looking at a rail link to the airport.
  • We need increased and improved 'park and ride' facilities at stations and interchanges.
  • We are presently looking at expanding Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) and the possibility to privatise and concession special services on the railways.
  • We must develop a substantial tourist business with weekend specials to popular family outing spots and bring the Southern Suburbs line to full profitability.
  • We believe public transport must be for the many, not just the few and we are no longer able to maintain our roads, and our rail business has almost vanished.
  • We are on the same trajectory as the rest of Africa where mobility is restricted to air travel. When roads and railways nosedive, so does the economy.
As the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) increases the incidence of tolling on the N1, N2, R300 and N7, many of the annual 2 million truck trips will be diverted on to provincial roads. This hastens their inevitable degradation and destruction.
The province is therefore committed to the imperative of shifting significant amounts of road freight on to rail as quickly and as extensively as possible.
Transnet is short of both motive and rolling stock, but there is much that can be done even within these limitations and we are working closely with them toward solutions.
Transnet is also about to release a number of branch lines for private usage. If these are not taken up, they will scrap them.
In the end, it depends on the will of the carriers and the province itself to save the provincial neck.
What are the major constraints to public transport? The Passenger Rail Agency of SA (PRASA) which operates Metrorail, has not met its growth targets in terms of additional train sets or improved infrastructure. Province will work with PRASA to obtain the necessary funding.
The Mini-bus Taxi industry is based on hard work, personal responsibility and risk rather than hand-outs. BEE interventions and subsidies have fallen victim to confusing, conflicting and inappropriate regulation applied haphazardly or not at all. This industry has therefore largely been forced to regulate itself, breeding violence, intimidation and lawlessness in many instances.
The incentive model of meeting targets has drivers literally sprinting to meet daily quotas. This degrades attention to road rules and the habits of safe driving. Consequently they have become a major cause of accidents. This template of remuneration needs to be looked at before we can expect de facto improvement of safe driving on our roads by this major player in public transport.
In addition to this, taxis do not operate to schedule. They cherry pick the peak hours. They compete with mainline transport and they delay passengers by stacking until they have a full load. There can be no inclusion of the taxi industry until they have been appropriately regulated and are satisfied that their inclusion will not be to their financial detriment.
Regulation is proceeding apace with significant improvements being made to the Provincial Operating Board, the Transport Registrars' Office and the Dispute Resolution Unit.
Harmonising the industry is essential, and we have made a start. The strategy is to get to full enforcement of regulation as soon as possible. As in all things, once the rogue taxi elements realise that the authorities are resolute, they will begin to relinquish their already marginalised position. We are working to draw the National Taxi Association into the forthcoming SANTACO Western Cape elections.
Law enforcement is now invigorated and conducting routine operations to restore law and order in public transport. These operations enable us to impound public transport vehicles which shouldn't have been our road in the first place. So much that our two pound facilities have little space left.
Accordingly, my department will be opening 6 to 8 pound facilities across the Province to accommodate the rising number of vehicles to accommodate vehicles that must be impounded. Impounding seriously focuses the industry's attention.
I have issued my new policy on taxi violence which is to curtail or freeze operations in a violent area until peace returns and the perpetrators of violence are in custody. This opens the way for sensible and pragmatic negotiations with the industry, where many of the associations are beginning to be supportive of what we are doing.
The success of every public transport system is intertwined with road safety. To this end, the province has launched a road safety campaign called SAFELY HOME. The aim of the campaign is to halve road fatalities by 2014. Many may think that this is an unrealistic target. But the sad reality is that accidents are avoidable. We would not have as many road fatalities as we currently do if all road users took personal responsibility to ensure that each one gets safely home everyday.
SAFELY HOME seeks to change existing perceptions about personal responsibility for road safety. Any road user who disregards that responsibility will face the full force of the rule-of-law without fear or favour. The Western Cape will not be a haven for reckless driving; drunk driving; unsafe public transport or private vehicles and illegal operators.
Now to look at what we need in terms of funding our goals: we require about R12 billion to resuscitate PRASA and set up the next four BRT trunk routes with appropriate feeder systems.
There will, for some time, be no available funds from National Treasury. However, SA National Roads Agency is proceeding with the extension of the R300 to Melkboschstrand in the North West and to the M3 in the South East at a cost of between R9b and R11b. This money will be effectively funded by National Treasury, whether it will be done by grants or through bonds guaranteed by Treasury. It is the stated intention of SANRAL to toll these roads.
There is no reason why we should suffer congested highways, an ailing public transport system and the eventual collapse of our road network. All we have to do is adjust our line of sight a little and look at the problem holistically. The city functions in an intricate organic fashion. Right now there are unjustifiable concentrations of private vehicles demanding greater resources and the majority needs are impaired. This paradigm is not supportable nor even desirable. The reality is that the extended R300 will soon be congested, just as the ring roads of Gauteng are already congested. The new ones being built will soon suffer the same entropy. We need to fine-tune the music of our city's heartbeat and have a vision toward a more harmonic system.
The people of the Cape have a simple choice. Do they want additional expensive peripheral roads that will have a marginal impact on the provincial economy? Or do they want an effective public transport system which will bolster and in fact future-proof the economy?
We have the will to implement our plan, the stamina and the sheer gutsiness to pull it off. But this will must be demonstrated by every citizen in the province. From the commuter in Khayelitsha facing a miserable overcrowded, unsafe and unreliable trip to town, to the Eco Warrior in Rondebosch dreaming of a sustainable global future, to the executive spending 15% of his working life stuck in traffic jams. These are the people we are working for.
But most of all this will must be manifested by you - the media. Just as transport drives the beat of the city, you are responsible for the finer spirit of our province. It is you who foster pride in our achievements, who get the debate going on our issues. All the while you enrich and educate the citizenry and inculcate a larger vision of the future in the hearts and minds of our people.
Everything is possible when we come together, even a future that spans far beyond our imagination.
Thank you.
 
#853 ·
The Khayelitsha one was canned because of poor support. This is now being replaced with a Boland one, which runs via Paarl, Stikland, Bellville to Cape Town
 
#856 ·
City opens newly upgraded Kuils River Park-and-Ride facility
For rail commuters in Kuils River and Ottery, the long journey into Cape Town – or anywhere in-between – now begins with a newly upgraded rail station that is now also a Park and Ride interchange, with 145 more vehicle parking bays, a bicycle lock-up facility and an improved pedestrian walkway.

The Park and Ride concept, which encourages motorists to park their car at a rail station, then take the train to their final destination (and complete their return journey in the same way), is one of the City’s flagship programmes that aims to integrate public, private and non-motorised (walking and cycling) transport. The better start and end facilities are designed to make the concept more appealing for commuters. Upgrades and extensions will soon start at Monte Vista, Brackenfell, Kraaifontein, Retreat, Fish Hoek, Oosterzee, Lansdowne and Eerste River train stations.

The programme is part of the City’s Travel Demand Management (TDM) Strategy, which promotes more sustainable travel modes and practises, in order to reduce the overall number of trips undertaken by private vehicle (especially vehicles with only one occupant, the driver). This strategy links to the City’s Integrated Transport Plan (ITP), which sets out the City’s plan to deliver a world-class sustainable transport system for Cape Town. It aims particularly to improve public transport, integrate public, private and non-motorised transport, reduce the number of private cars on our roads, and to give residents high-quality travel choices.

Work on the stations will include:

  • An additional 100 parking bays and improved pedestrian crossings at Brackenfell
  • Parking area upgrades, along with substantial improvements to the forecourt for pedestrians at Kraaifontein and Monte Vista
  • An upgrade to the parking area at the Retreat rail station, along with bicycle cycle lock-up facilities
  • An 80 additional parking bays at Ottery, as well as improvements to the forecourt for pedestrians
    Eventually the Park and Rides will offer a comfortable, pleasant place to wait while commuters switch between private car, taxi, bus, bicycle and train.
Akasia Park Kenilworth Parow Athlone Kentemade Pentech Avondale Khayelitsha Philippi Belhar Koebergweg Pinelands Bellville Kraaifontein Plumstead Blackheath Kuils River Retreat Bonteheuwel Lakeside Rondebosch Brackenfell Langa Rosebank Cape Town Lansdowne Salt River Claremont Lavistown Sarepta Crawford Lentegeur Simons Town De Grendel Maitland Somerset West Diep River Mandalay Southfield Eersterivier Meltonrose St. James Eikenfontein Mitchells plain Steenberg Elsiesrivier Monte vista Steurhof False Bay Mowbray Stikland Faure Muizenberg Strand Firgrove Mutual Thornton Fish Hoek Ndabeni Tygerberg Glencairn Netreg Unibell Goodwood Newlands Van der Stel Harfield Road Nolungile Vasco Hazendal Nonkqubela Wetton Heathfield Nyanga Wittebome Heideveld Observatory Woodstock Kalk Bay Oosterzee Wynberg Kapteinsklip Ottery The Cape Town rail stations listed below all have some Park and Ride facilities, even if only a few parking bays.



Martin Pollack
 
#860 ·
New options for transport to and from Cape Town International Airport


City of Cape Town Website

A wide range of transport options will be available to commuters travelling to and from Cape Town International Airport once extensive upgrades to the airport are completed during April 2010. The renovated airport now offers ample parking, easy access to public transport, coaches and shuttles and safe passage to the new conveniently located consolidated car rental area.

As all passengers exit through the new Central Terminal Building, there is no distinction between the types of transport available to international and domestic passengers. The new drop-off lane on the upper level of the Central Terminal Building makes the journey for commuters departing from Cape Town International Airport easy and hassle free.

Public transport shuttle

From 29 May 2010, a shuttle bus service will operate between the Transport Plaza in front of the new Central Terminal Building and the new Civic Centre IRT Bus Station in Hertzog Boulevard. Buses will depart as often as every six minutes during peak periods, and not more than every 30 minutes during off-peak periods. The bus schedule will be available at the bus station in the Transport Plaza, where tickets can be bought at R50,00 per trip. The airport shuttle will operate most frequently after World Cup matches for passengers needing to leave Cape Town immediately.

Metered taxis

Metered taxis will operate from the Transport Plaza, adjacent to the bus station. Only Touchdown taxis are authorised to pick up all non pre-booked passengers from the airport, but any metered taxi can be used for the return trip to the airport.

Private shuttles

Private shuttles can be pre-booked or booked on arrival at the airport.

Tour groups

Coach and shuttle pick-up areas are conveniently located adjacent to the multi-storey parkade 2, with walkways to these areas (mostly undercover).

Passengers with special needs

A large number of ‘Disabled Bays’ are conveniently located on the ground floor of the two parkades. These offer easy access to the Central Terminal Building. There are more such bays on the upper level drop-off lane.

Car rentals

All car rental agencies have been consolidated and are now situated beyond the Transport Plaza and the main access road in front of the Central Terminal Building. Underpasses provide safe pedestrian access to this area to prevent passengers having to cross the main access road through traffic.

Parking

More than 5 500 parking bays are available in the two multi-storey parkades, with a further 1 600 bays in the two shaded parking areas.

Martin Pollack

2010/04/15
 
#864 ·
The Park-and-Rides throughout Cape Town were well utilised last night. At 20:00, the most popular facilities were the University of Cape Town with 2 700 parked cars; Windermere with 1 670 parked cars; Oosterzee with 1 378 parked cars; and Grand West with 725 parked cars.

A number of fans used the Metrorail service, which transported over 180 000 passengers to the city between 13:00 and 19:45. A total of 19 680 people were transported on the Monte Vista line; 34 125 on the Main Line; 74 670 on the Central Line; and 49 250 on the South Line. In addition, four special trains were arranged for the South Line, and one special train for the Central Line.
 
#866 ·
New trains in 2013...I'll believe when I see it..

Finally extra trains for W Cape
By Janis Kinnear and Murray Williams
Staff Reporters

Transport authorities will increase the number of trains in the Western Cape and extend the service on some lines as part of a new short-term strategy to deal with the province's ageing rail network.

Finance and Tourism MEC Alan Winde has said that Cape Town's unreliable train service is having a serious negative impact on the city's productivity and economy.

Western Cape Transport MEC Robin Carlisle said that "if Metrorail goes, the city goes with it".

In addition, thousands of workers had their wages docked when they got to work late because of Metrorail's inept service, said Tony Ehrenreich, Cosatu's provincial secretary.

An estimated 350 000 passengers travel by train every weekday.

The move to try to improve the rail service was taken at a mini-summit held last week between the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) chief executive officer Lucky Montana, regional Metrorail manager Lindelo Matya, and Carlisle.

The strategy includes:


Increasing the train compliment from 88 train sets to 92 sets by sending trains to the Western Cape.

Re-deploying coaches from elsewhere in the province for use on the packed Khayelitsha-Mitchells Plain line.

<li style=""> Improved services to the Southern Peninsula.

But authorities have yet to announce when the improvements will be implemented.

Metrorail operates trains on five lines in the Cape: the southern suburbs, the Cape Flats, the central line, the northern line and the Malmesbury/Worcester line.

Commuters come from areas like Retreat, Rondebosch, Khayelitsha, Fish Hoek, Somerset West, Langa, Bonteheuwel, Bellville and Century City.

In July, the Cape Argus travelled on trains for several days and found the service to be, for the most part, diabolical, with most trains overcrowded and late.

At the meeting, Carlisle made it clear to Prasa that it could not permit Metrorail to deteriorate further.

"The system cannot survive waiting another few years," Carlisle said.

Montana told Carlisle that about 500 new train sets, to the value of R97 billion, would be rolled out nationally from the beginning of the 2013/2014 financial year.

Carlisle emphasised that an immediate solution was required to "bridge the gap" before new train sets could be arranged.

Prasa said it would obtain an additional four to five sets from other provinces where the demand was not as urgent as Cape Town's.

The parties also agreed that two Shosholoza-Meyl coaches used for long distance travel - one from Cape Town to Malmesbury and one from Cape Town to Worcester - would be converted to carriages and would be slotted in on the Khayelitsha-Mitchells Plain line during peak hours, where the greatest commuter demand exists.

Another focus would be the Fish Hoek-Simon's Town line, which is closed but, according to Prasa, is to be operational by late December or January.

To alleviate the shortage of buses in the Fish Hoek-Simon's Town area, Prasa will provide six to 10 buses from its subsidiary company, Autopax, which were used during the World Cup.

The Cape Town-Simon's Town line would be adopted as a "pet project" to convert car users to rail by adding an additional two train sets which would leave Cape Town station between 9.30pm and 10pm.

Currently, the last train on that line departs from Cape Town station at 6.55pm.

A new maintenance programme would see train sets repaired on weekends and at night during the week.

Regarding rail safety, the meeting heard that Prasa provides the police with R1 billion for security on trains and at trains stations.

The parties also agreed to work together with SAPS to get more police officers on trains during off-peak hours.

"Passengers have told me they want to see uniformed men on the trains and then they will feel safe," said Carlisle.

Prasa said it had bolstered its anti-fare evasion measures.

As a result they had bust more than 22 300 commuters for riding free illegally in the past few months. Carlisle described the meeting as positive and said Metrorail had shown it was determined to solve the rail crisis.

Carlisle also urged all train commuters to continue to advise the transport ministry of their grievances

He said commuters could call the "Metrorail problem line" on 021 483 2200.


  • This article was originally published on page 1 of The Cape Argus on August 12, 2010

Published on the Web by IOL on 2010-08-12 12:17:00
 
#867 ·
The Cape Town-Simon's Town line would be adopted as a "pet project" to convert car users to rail by adding an additional two train sets which would leave Cape Town station between 9.30pm and 10pm.

Currently, the last train on that line departs from Cape Town station at 6.55pm.
The article is mostly great, but I don't see how this is much of a plan at all. Two isolated trains running at night to stations where the security has probably left.. and you're expected to leave your cars there until then as well? Unfortunately that isn't going to convince anyone to convert to rail.

If they're going to spend money on this then please rather don't throw it away with two random late trains that no one will use. :( Either extend the service from the current 7pm till about 9 with those trains or slot them into the rush hour periods.

I'll really be pissed at Metrorail if they implement this "project".
 
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