Metrorail not [really] the bad guy

I have been following the closure of Gouda station like a hawk and those saying Metrorail deliberately made Worcester train not stop at Gouda station is misleading.

The fact is that the Railway Safety Regulator issued PRASA with a Prohibition Directive to suspend station operations at Gouda Station. The most important thing of this closure is that it comes after a complaint by a member of the public was lodged. This shows the power we as commuters do indeed hold.

Metrorail Western Cape received information of the directive less than 60 minutes before that train had to depart Cape Town station. 

I am personally aware that arrangements were made late that evening to ensure that buses and staff be available at the affected station. My concern that buses not move from Gouda to Wellington – as initially communicated – but still stop at the four stations in between was also addressed and implemented the next morning.

 

Prasa has meanwhile reacted stating that work at the station will start in January 2016. 

Now with the recently released Public Protector “Derailed” report on Prasa one should be relieved that there is money in the current financial year to make the improvements. Apart from the health hazard, our concern should be the four/five buses currently used to transport the ± 200 commuters between Gouda and Wellington - that must still stop at the four stations in between.

I reckon Metrorail is unable to sustain the operating of these buses until upgrades at Gouda station is completed in (for arguments sake) April/May 2016. Important to note Metrorail already has a limited number of buses available, plus there is a similar situation playing itself out on the Southern Line, although the effect is much lesser on those commuters.

Monday 7 September buses had to go from Gouda to Vlottenberg/Stellebosch because of the technical problem there and I know Metrorail tried their very best to get it there as soon as possible. But let's face the reality Metrorail will not always be able to recover the service within two hours, as was the case on 7 September.

So how did the RSR get to their decision and why are commuters from Gouda not informed? Well the Railway Safety Inspectors did an inspection on 26 April 2013. As a result of the inspection, an Improvement Directive was issued. The investigation highlighted that:

• The height of the passenger platform in use on the eastern side of Gouda station does not conform to the prescribed passenger platform specifications.
• There are no shelters and ablution facilities to cater for commuters on the passenger/commuter platform.
• Platform surface is in a very poor condition and has big hole which poses a hazard to commuters.
• Fence around the station is in a poor condition and that makes the station vulnerable to people accessing the station without authority or/and valid tickets (trespassers).
• Platform was very dark due to insufficient lighting at the station.

PRASA’s response was that Gouda Station was a Transnet Freight Rail owned station and leased to PRASA and therefore they can do very little to address the threats. According to their agreement Gouda Station is solely used by commuters. 

Although PRASA lease the station, it is PRASA's responsibility to implement and adhere to all safety laws, codes, standards and regulations to ensure safe railway operations.

It is indeed true that Prasa has done very little to address the issues highlighted and therefor the directive was given and is effective immediately. 

The directive will only be revoked when PRASA has satisfactorily demonstrated to the RSR that the immediate threats no longer exist.

In my opinion the Railway Safety Regulator was not fair towards Metrorail – who now looks like the bad guys. Even if Metrorail Western Cape received that directive earlier it would still not be enough notice period to say a station should close. It also raises another thing: when the RSR said immediate effect, what exactly was meant, as this gave Metrorail no time to communicate to commuters.

Has Metrorail lost the plot & compassion?

Metrorail Western Cape experienced their worse day in the past 3 years yesterday and the funny thing is they could have avoided it if someone took ownership, responsibility and had the courage to stand up and lead – unfortunately their leadership skills are on one of the trains that are delayed.

Two things frustrated me: that they could have avoided the chaos and no senior management were on trains, even though they knew trains would be delayed for more than an hour.

This led to me first sending an email to the Regional Manager and his senior team and then to the minister of transport, Dipuo Peters. Here’s an extract of both:

Email to Metrorail Regional Manager

Drivers don’t have any communication with operations and at least two trains are standing outside Brackenfell, while buses are at the station, not transporting commuters

Now I would like to know:

1) Which bright spark at Metrorail decided to approve one line to be open, after operations decided Wellington trains will go via Stellenbosch on the Muldersvlei Line? Surely it does not take a rocket scientist to know that if there was a derailment a line will be closed and fixing that line will take hours - even if one line is open. Why still have all trains go that route and cause trains to be delayed by up to 3/4 hours.

If those trains went via Stellenbosch they would have been delayed by max 60 minutes.

2) Why would drivers have no communication with Operations? We live in 2015 and everyone has a cellphone so no communication should be the last of Metrorail's silly excuses.

3) Why is the Regional Manager and ALL his HOD's not on Wellington trains explaining to commuters the chaos and assisting.

Here's a quick reality check:

(a) There are parents on those trains who will have to pay their Day Care mothers extra (per hour) because Metrorail again failed to plan better.

(b) There are people on those trains who missed out on opportunities thanks to Metrorail.

(c) There are people on those trains who will sign warning letters and face disciplinary action because Metrorail thought it could operate with one line.

Dear Regional Manager, you have in the past six months failed to publicly hold anyone responsible for incompetent decisions or take full responsibility for chaos on the lines, my humble request is that you not let this opportunity pass and not hold staff accountable!

Email to Minister Peters:

Currently Metrorail Western Cape is in chaos and the management is refusing to admit they have made errors today.

A Metrorail Western Cape HOD told me that even though there are managers at the station, Head of Departments don't get on trains (to engage with commuters) on the chaos. The HOD maintained this even after I said not even the Customer Services and Communication HOD's. People have been on trains this evening for four hours and the statement by a senior Prasa employee is TOTALLY unacceptable.

Metrorail was well aware of this chaos, and could have avoided this. Still their senior management don't see it important for them to be on a train engaging commuters and then I ask myself has this really become a money making business with NO human factor.

HAS METRORAIL NOW REALLY LOST THE PLOT AND HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO COMPASSION FOR THEIR FELLOW MAN/WOMAN?

Metrorail's missed opportunity

Overhead electrical wires in one of Metrorail’s coaches that caught alight, led to about 15 commuters ending in hospital on Sunday 17 August. The incident happened just outside Soetendal-station, between Wellington and Hermon. The Worcester train is like the one traveling to and from Malmesbury, everyday, the only one and basically the only public transport many can use to get to the heart of the Western Cape.

The Worcester train was cancelled Monday morning and replaced with a bus service, just a pity buses were 60 to 90minutes delay, almost like the train service. At some, wait – most of the stations there were no staff to inform commuters if buses are on their way or not.

To make matters worse the same train, that went operational Monday afternoon, failed in-section. This makes me wonder

(1) How was it approved to be ready to be used again?

(2) Who approved it?

(3) Who will take responsibility

That the incident took place, is not a surprise, we have an old rail infrastructure and I touched on this in two previous blogs Cape Town Trains is Metrorails e-Toll.

What frustrated me though is:

The train departed Cape Town station at 16:53 and after the train had a few stop and go moments I inquired and at 17:17 was told it is delayed due to a faulty set. The train arrived about 20 minute late at Bellville – where it stood for another 15 to 20 minutes. An announcement was made that the said train is delayed due to a faulty set. The Worcester train eventually moved but failed at Brackenfell – during this time @CapeTownTrains tweeted the train is delayed due to a faulty set. At 18:55 came a tweet the train has been cancelled – this after it’s been standing at Brackenfell for more than an hour. No staff-members were insight and no announcements were made.

I learned that the delays are due to cable theft at Huguenot station and the faulty set – it is sad though that Metrorail’s Customer Services cannot communicate this to commuters, almost as sad as the fact that no staff were at a station.

Metrorail’s Regional Manager, Richard Walker, is said to be serious about customer service. His actions, does not speak of this and if he’s to be believed, Walker missed a golden opportunity Sunday evening to prove it. He also missed the opportunity Monday evening.

Nothing is more important that the commuter

So if I were Walker and I got the call Sunday evening of the train accident – with 174 km, the longest possible route on a commuter train in South Africa – I would instruct all my senior managers/HODs and rush to the scene. I would make sure my Communication, Marketing and Customer Service-managers and teams make sure we show that through this tragedy, commuters and the general public see, Metrorail cares. I guess if that was the case, I would have read a headline Monday morning “Metrorail cares” and not “Train catches fire”.

Walker is quoted in the media as saying Metrorail has a contingency plan that is activated in case of an emergency and that staff assist commuters out of the train if it is safe to do so. Metrorail might have a contingency plan, the activation time should however be question and that staff assists commuters seems to be a myth and still to be proven as a fact.

In conclusion: It is interesting to note that no Metrorail manager has ever said they would take a Worcester train in morning and afternoon peak – especially when there are massive delays – to experience the commuter experience. I will not hold my breath that this would also happen anytime soon.

Also read: Visiting critical but not stable Metrorail

Metrorail's Unanswered Questions

On Tuesday June 24th, 2014 at 09:38 am, I wrote an email with concerns and complaints to Metrorail Western Cape's Regional Manager, Richard Walker and his whole management. This email follows the morning's chaos and Metrorail's lack of effective communication with commuters. 
Ironically two days before this I wrote Why Communication is important for Metrorail.

After 8 hours of no response, I forwarded forwarding the email again to the whole management, saying how disappointed I am that I have not even received an acknowledgment that they received my complaint and if this is the type of service commuters get.
After more than 13 hours, Richard Walker responded that he was in a meeting - but failed to say why his Customer Services team could not acknowledge they received my mail. Walker's reply to my questions (which is below) was:
"I requested that management investigate the lack of operational information this morning. The Head of CMOCC has advised that it was human error and that appropriate remedial action has been taken against the responsible party. He has also in conjunction with the marketing & communications team revised response protocol to prevent a recurrence."

Walker and/or his Customer Services or Communication Managers have failed to answer my questions, instead raised more. This led to the following unanswered questions, which Walker and his whole management team have meanwhile decided to ignore (yet I am expected to pay for my ticket, but not allowed to raise any questions)!

1) Why were no Metrorail staff visible at stations, especially Bellville (where you reportedly building your new operational center) with all the chaos?

2) Why were there no announcements at stations about the delays. First announcement on Brackenfell was at 07:16 only saying next train will arrive in 5 minutes and this after I sent out two tweets that no announcements are made.

3) Why did it take @CapeTownTrains more than an hour to confirm Wellington Trains are delay? Could the manager in CMOCC not call Wellington/Huguenot stations to confirm if trains left on time or are you only depending on signals (whose faulty most of the time).

4) Why could buses not be used. Clearly CMOCC was aware of the chaos/delays at 7am, unless you tell me that Metrorail does not now where their trains are!

5) Who needs to authorize the buses and is there no way that you can send that person on a delay train to experience the frustration commuters experience?

6) What is the time-frame in which management should respond to complaints?

7) Hundreds of commuters will be signing warning letters or get fired (not paid) for arriving late at work. Will you publicly apologise and send out a statement regarding this (in my view your Communications Manager should have done this at 7am this morning)

8) Will you publicly accept responsibility that Metrorail failed commuters this morning and apologize to commuters? (again your Communications Manager should have done this at 7am).

9) Is your Communications Manager, Acting CMOCC Manager and Customer Service Manager willing to travel by train for a week to understand commuter frustration. Esp your Customer Service and Communication Managers should travel by train atleast three times a week - or don't they have confidence in the rail operator where they work!

10) Why are train doors not closed as promised by Prasa GCEO, Transport minister and former Regional Manager when they took a train in April?

11) No announcements were made at Vasco station and you requested the station manager to make contact with me. Is there a station manager as no one has made contact with me?

12) Changes were made to the schedule... Why or when was the website updated with the changed schedule?

13) The Worcester train was delayed at Gouda and according to @CapeTownTrains you could not inform commuters as Gouda is not Metrorail's jurisdiction. To say that is unacceptable. Commuters pay Metrorail when buying a ticket and expect a reliable service from Metrorail and that includes communication when their train is delayed. Because stations beyong Stikland belongs to Transnet is not what a commuter wants to hear and is irresponsible from Metrorail to use as an excuse not to know the train is delay. We live in the 21st Century, where children as young as 5/6 have access to a cellphone, surely someone in CMOCC has a cellphone to call the driver and ask why has the train not passed Stikland at 07:15 - this is the time it more or less passes this station and when CMOCC can start seeing trains on their system. I also find it strange that no one in Metrorail has ever thought of this, or someone did and someone else ignored it... 

Metrorail has failed to respond to the above, I have meanwhile answered my own questions and forwarded the answers to Metrorail - who've also ignored that.