Metrorail or Metrorail?

Trains are delayed due to manual authorization, defective sets and speed restrictions. Allow for extended travel time due to a train that failed in-section. If you make use of South Africa’s rail operator Metrorail, these are well-known messages by now.

The daily struggles and frustration of thousands of my fellow commuters are as a result of not only mismanagement and corrupt activities but also first no planning and then poor planning by government.

The current state of the service is where you not guaranteed the train will be on-time and your ticket might or might not be checked. What you can be sure of is an overcrowded train. After the struggle to get in, comes the struggle to get out. Picture yourself a scrum, better yet wrestling’s royal rumble.

Another challenge for both rail operator and consumer is that some of the tracks are not owned by Metrorail. Much of it is rented from Transnet and therefore Metrorail cannot legally do repairs and maintenance. This often leaves the operator and commuters frustrated with delays or a suspended line, pending TFR maintenance.

While the daily numbers of commuters have increase, the number of trains decreased with many trains sabotaged by arson and vandals. This led to some trains being cancelled and the remaining trains shorter to ensure a service on all lines.

Metrorail needs more than 90 train sets to have a normal service in the Western Cape, for the four lines that stretch over 490km tracks. With all the arson incidents the past two years, there was a time the province had less than 60 train sets.

I am of the opinion that the arson and cable theft is a well-organised syndicate, deliberately destroying Metrorail.

Unfortunately there is no security compliment to have a guard of honour next to the railway line, and there is just not enough manpower for all the stations and points.

Security guards are deployed to hot-spot areas, but families of the men and women are victimized and their lives threatened. Many of the unarmed guards step back when the criminals target the areas. These guards don’t speak, out of fear for the lives of their loved-ones. Many of the guards are also not trained to use a firearm. And we cannot just go and give every Hendrik, Jason and Thabo a gun.

Cable theft is a reality. Between the 21st and 25th of July 2017 eleven suspects were arrested. Rail crime is however not viewed as serious enough by our justice system. If it was how many criminals caught, or against whom there is enough evidence were successfully prosecuted?

One of the positives is there has not been a single derailment with fatalities in the Western Cape and compared with other regions train incidents are fewer. Delays and cancellations are also lower, and lines suspended for service (after a major incident) last a few hours – compared to days in other regions – and as hard as this is to believe, commuters here receive better communication.

However the reality is that Metrorail operates in an open environment, making it not immune to and thus vulnerable for criminal activities. Social ills in communities play a big role in the many challenges. Often criminals use the tracks as an escape route. There are also areas where the railway line is a border for rivalry gangs.

Railway police don’t resort under Metrorail – but SAPS – and having no jurisdiction over them or their deployment adds to the safety headache.

The past month also saw a number of level-crossing incidents, despite having booms and Metrorail appealing in their statements for motorist to be vigilant when approaching a level-crossing.

Part of addressing the problem is not only government making more funding available, but also making rail more than just a priority on paper. We will also have to start addressing crime, social challenges and unemployment. If we don’t do this and continue to play the blame game, commuters and Metrorail will continue to be the biggest loser and hooligan criminals laughing all the way to the bank.

This opinion piece was originally written for JustJody  

Metrorail's delayed promises

Metrorail is managed by union leaders and not the appointed management.

This was confirmed when Prasa Acting Group CEO, Lindikhaya Zidi, gave in to request by union leaders – despite cries by commuters for atleast the last four years.
Untu has been threatening Prasa with legal action for weeks now, if the company don’t beef up security and create a safer work environment. This comes after a train driver was shot dead at Netreg station in July 2016.

On 2 August 2016 a Metrorail train driver shot and killed a 26-year old attacker near Kraaifontein station, after being attacked by four men near the station – the second incident involving this driver. Earlier this year a train guard was threatened at gun point and in two separate occasions verifiers on a train and at a gate was threatened. There are also other incidents where Prasa staff have been intimidated.

Prasa now made a promise of not only armed security on the Central Line but also better communication, with regular SMS-notifications.

It looks like it is not #AllLivesMatter for Metrorail. It is not only the Central Line where criminal elements are at the order of the day. Prasa seems to contradict itself. A few weeks ago they used the criminal element as an excuse to have paid parking at Bellville yet parking at all other stations – even on the Central Line – are free.

It would appear as if the AGCEO is also not aware that Rapid Railway Police only start patrolling trains and stations after 8am, when the majority of commuters are already hard at work. I guess he is also not aware that Prasa has no jurisdiction over the railway police, or that the outsourced security of Prasa is not very proactive. He’s also quiet on what will Prasa do to ensure successful prosecution.

In an email dated 24 May 2017 I share with Mr. Zidi no one within CMOCC (Operational Centre) is being held accountable. His reaction two months later is a manager on duty until the last train completed its journey. A manager on duty in CMOCC is not the solution for the frustration of thousands of commuters, if that manager cannot be proactive.

Until this hour Metrorail cannot explain that on 24 May 2017 a manager was on duty and still CMOCC was not able to notice for three hours Wellington trains are delayed. That is one of many incidents I can point out (and Metrorail’s management have copies of all).

In the very same email I make the bold statement that Metrorail Western Cape’s Management don’t have the backbone to take responsible for and deliver a credible reliable service with their hands on the things they can control.

From the promises it would appear as if the AGCEO is not aware SMS notifications are already sent to commuters.

The problem Prasa/Metrorail seems to ignore is (a) the disconnect between the different internal departments and communication methods and (b) the credibility, accuracy and timing of proactive customer communication.

I’ve previously pointed out the problem but will repeat myself. Currently Customer Communication at Metrorail sits with the Customer Services and Train Operations departments. In Train Operations drivers and other technical support staff are responsible for communication. Customer Service’s priority is generating revenue and not communication first. The problem with both is that those responsible for communication had no communication training and are thus not even aware of Communication101.

Part of the solution – and I’ve been proposing this to Metrorail Western Cape since November 2014 – is
(a) an integrated customer communication policy and
(b) Marketing and Communication department (custodians of the organisation’s reputation) be the driving force behind all external and internal communication.

This should be done by crafting and editing of messages.

Metrorail Western Cape’s Operational Policy and Procedures don’t allow for the above but it has been proven in times of crises that it can work. Sadly egos are still a red signal for proactive customer communication.

How Metrorail cannot assist their commuters

Criminal activity seems to be the reason behind paid parking at Bellville railway station.

“The parking area at Bellville railway station reached a point where criminal activity became the order of the day,” says Marius Wagener from Prasa Cres.
“Drug peddling and theft created an unsafe environment for the commuting and general public parking at Bellville. Prasa appointed a private operator to manage the parking area, with the objective to create a safe and secure parking facility.”

Commuters making use of the parking were charged R600 per month in April and May. After complaints to Metrorail, this was temporarily halted for due processes to be followed. Commuters have since been charged R10 per hour, R40 per day and R600 per month to make use of the parking.
Metrorail in May said it had no knowledge of paid parking. Last week the rail operator said it is not responsible for communicating to commuters any maintenance and construction related matters, that have an impact on their customers.

Wagener says that those making use of the parking where informed on two occasions of the decision to place the parking under private management and be operated as a paid public facility.
The notice is dated 20th June 2017, but Wagener would not comment if one week is sufficient time for a notice where paying for a service is involved, considering they have been aware of it for atleast three months. 
Wagener did not respond to queries to confirm the different pricing options.
“The parking facility is not used exclusively by train commuters, but also local business and the general public,” says Wagener.
“The operator however does not charge different rates for commuters and general public.

Metrorail could also not provide a list of all stations with paid parking. 
When asked if a commuter willing to pay R20 and make use of the parking for two hours but trains are delayed or cancelled and that commuter arrives four hours later at the parking and now needs to pay R60, if Metrorail is saying it cannot assist its commuters.
Spokesperson, Riana Scott, responded “unfortunately yes. I suppose it is similar to parking at the airport and one’s flight is delayed”.

For transparency, the five questions below were submitted to Wagener on Friday 14 July 2017, to which he has not yet responded: 
1. You mention criminal activity and drug peddling that eventually led to this decision. It is an open secret that drug peddling is taking place at Eikenfontein, Brackenfell, Parow and Vasco and those are just four neighbouring stations to Bellville. It is an open secret that Retreat, Netreg, Khayelitsha, Bonteheuwel, Wittebome have the same problem. Yet there is no paid parking to make the environment safe.
In addition to the above commuters from Kuilsriver have been requesting Prasa repeatedly to ensure safe parking at that station and that has been ignored.
Question: what criteria was followed in making this decision and is it because Prasa Cres has offices and your staff, who make use of the parking had complained about the "unsafe" environment?

2. You mention a private operator was appointed, was there a tender out for this and could you give me the dates and publications this was advertised. Can you also confirm that the operator is not related to any senior Prasa official either at Head Office or in the province?

3. The notice (a) has no contact details to confirm that it is legit and (b) is dated 20 June 2017, meaning you only had one week (5 working days) to hand out such notice.
In addition to the above you admit the implementation was postponed in May to 1 July 2017. If decision was thus made in May to implement 1 July 2017, why did it take you almost two months to issue a notice?

4. You indeed correct that businesses in the area also make use of the parking. Businesses however make use of the parking under the bridge and not directly next to the station and Railway Police, where only commuters and Prasa employees park.

5. You mention that the operator is not charging different rates but would appear as if Prasa is not even aware of what rates is being charged. Can Prasa confirm what are the agreed rates per hour, per day and per month and what reimbursement will there be should trains be delayed because of Prasa?

Youth month should stress future possibilities

As the curtain closes on another youth month, I ask myself what remarkable change transpired in the lives of our youth during June?

Celebrations this year took place against the backdrop of several incidents of rape and murder of young children. To make matters worse the majority of perpetrators, if not all, are youngsters. If that is not enough to raise alarm bells, the fact that social challenges have played a role in almost all of these cases is significant.

We have long passed the stage of straightbacked alarm at the news of a rape or murder of a child. By now we should be sitting on the edge of our seats and asking ourselves rather earnestly, “where and when did we take a wrong turn?” Whom or what do we blame? Drug addiction, the drug lord who owns the means of our degradation, the merchants who pass the quick fix from one hand to the next? Or, are we going to blame peer-pressure?

A very good friend reminded me recently that it is tougher being a youngster today than a few years ago.

The youth of today are exposed to peer-pressure on a higher scale, communities with higher expectations from our youth – mainly because there are more opportunities – and then there is the pressure of social media.

As we put filters on our photographs, we cannot seem to do the same with our lives.

I draw the conclusion that changes in life expectations are largely to blame. Our youth are trying to keep everyone happy and to fit in. Very little focus, however, is given to our youngsters as individuals. The individual rather focuses on expectations from family, the community, friends, social media, and so on, but not their own goals, their vision.

The solution looks simple by addressing the challenges and paying attention to individual goals, but is that what we are doing? And what contribution is society, generally, making?

Something that has bothered me for some time now is the fact that we don’t give justice to the thousands of young people who, 41 years ago, stood up for what they believed to be wrong and to make shifts that finally led to a democratic South Africa.

Youth Day, and more still the month, is intended to commemorate the youth legends of yesteryear. But also to look at the challenges our youth battle with today.

Instead of doing this, Youth Day has just turned into another public holiday, an opportunity to drink, to be lazy or to just enjoy sports events.

On Youth Day I posted on Facebook: “I fail to understand why every Youth Day there is this and that sport thing. Sport is not the only thing our youth are good at and not all youths are interested in sport. Let’s not only focus on entertaining our youth but also inform and educate them to be better leaders.”

The more positive comments hold that sport unites, is healthy and promotes team spirit.

I still wonder, though: how many young people actually attend the sports events, and I don’t just mean those participating or are forced to be there.

Besides a certificate of participation and possible trophy, what else did our young people accomplish by the end of youth month?

If we want to address the challenges of our youth, we will have to be more creative than a sports event or two. If all the song, dance and sports are planned better Youth Day can be used to provide an opportunity for our young people to get information to further their studies, employment opportunities and learn more about different industries of employment.

Open days are not only for schools.

It is not only matriculants who need bursaries and do we have a database of unemployed young people in our communities?

Daylin Mitchell, member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, recently said in parliament the youth in our rural communities should be empowered.

What have youth development and opportunities been to young people in rural areas over the past five to seven years? How many cases are there not of an older individual, with more work experience, being employed instead of a young person with a degree, because the young person lacks the work experience? No opportunity is given, though, to the young person to gain the necessary experience.

I agree with my friend the MPL, that if young, previously disadvantaged South Africans aren’t empowered they will remain in a social void.

Youth development, then, is about presenting opportunities for the future, or we fail the Class of ’76.

• Original post appeared as Post Scriptum in Paarl Post of Thursday 6 July 2017