Nope not an SMS-notification or announcement but what members of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament’s Standing Committee on Transport were told during a briefing by Metrorail.
Ironically the meeting started with the Metrorail delegation being delayed – not from a train, but security processes signing in.
The rail operator painted a picture of crime crippling the network, preventing it from delivering a reliable service to it’s hundreds of commuters.
Metrorail requires 88 train sets to operate a normal service, but has since October 2015 loss 101 carriages in arson-related incidents. The result? shorter trains and train cancellations. It also stated five years ago no one bothered with trains but these days more of Prasa assets are targeted.
It managed to make 200 arrest in July, 127 less than the 327 in February this year. What is interesting about this figure is for the year there has been no arrest for pick pocketing and only one for a fraudulent ticket – in March.
“It would appear as if Metrorail is now more focused on taking on rail crime than running trains,” said Nobulumko Nkondlo (ANC).
For Masizole Mnqasela (DA) it seemed as if there is no relationship between Prasa and the justice cluster, while his colleague Mark Wiley wanted to known if the State Security department is part of Metrorail’s specialised task team.Metrorail says they not shifting the blame, but appeal that the different government agencies work with them for the rail operator to deliver a service. “We need to know why trains are burning at 1am. It cannot be because of delays, those trains were not late.”
Committee chairman, Nceba Hinana, says what concerns him is people hanging out from trains.
Although it mentioned being active on social media, commuters able to check train updates via GoMetro and SMS-notifications sent to commuters, Metrorail admitted communication is a challenge, saying they do not communicate enough to commuters.
Regional Manager, Richard Walker, shared with the committee that he himself commute by train and he also find it frustrating to arrive at a station and the electronic board is not working or don’t reflect a delay.
“One of the reasons why people board the first train arriving is because of the uncertainty if there will be a next one or what time it will arrive, adding to overcrowded trains. Part of attending to this is being more predictable.”
Metrorail’s train design team is currently re-looking the timetable and commuters could soon receive communication regarding a revised timetable, to take effect September 1st 2017.
Two interesting points from Metrorail’s presentation of 50-slides, that even the honourable members failed to notice, is:
1) Their main stakeholder (commuters) is not included in the list of external support and partnerships.
2) Metrorail don’t now it’s own boundaries and where it runs a service. In it’s introduction it states its operations stretch across 6 municipalities and lists them as Cape Town, Drakenstein, Winelands, Breede River, Swartland and Helderberg.
Firstly a simple Google-search would have told them there is no Winelands and Helderberg municipalities.
Secondly Metrorail’s operations stretch across: Cape Town, Drakenstein, Witzenberg, Breede Valley, Stellenbosch and Swartland.
The provincial transport minister, Donald Grant, also attended the meeting and said what is unacceptable is that commuters at times have to wait three hours for a train.
Metrorail reacted there exceptional cases do occur.
ANC’s Cameron Dugmore says “we in agreement, Metrorail is failing and now we need to solve it together". He also tweeted what I’ve previously stated the problem is bigger than Metrorail. And continued: “he is not convinced the current plans are enough”.
He also suggested that Metrorail appear before the committee again, with fewer slides, and go into detail on the turn around strategy. Dugmore also want commuters and other stakeholders to be part of the meeting and give their input.
MEC Grant’s concern however is what is being done about the service for next week and next month.
Mnqasela gave the best summary of the situation: “we in a crisis and it cannot be business as usual”.
Metrorail’s solution is summarized in their accelerated turn around actions and includes:
- Increase train set availability from 60 to 65 in the next 3 months.
- Increase train set availability from 66 to 70 in the next 6 months.
- Increase train set availability from 71to 75 in the next 9 months.
- Increase train set availability from 76 to 80 in the next 12 months.
- Increase train set availability from 81 to 88 in the next 18 months.
- Reduce short trains from 86% to 50% of available trains.
- Increase reliability by
- Improving availability of rotating machines and wheels by fast track process to require components
- Availability of materials and spares by finalising regional tender process.
- Reduce signal infrastructure delays by rehabilitation of conventional signalling systems, migration of copper to fire, vandal proofing of signalling equipment and reinstatement of level crossings
- Reduce perway infrastructure delays by fast tracking procurement and approve contracts with Transnet.
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