City plans crisis summit to get Metrorail on track
Conference to tie-in with wider plan to take over the service
ARAIL summit will be convened by the City early in the new year to bring together experts to help get Metrorail back on track. The City’s transport and urban development authority (TDA) will host the summit in an effort to find short-term solutions to address the train crisis.
Mayoral committee member for transport and urban development Brett Herron said the conference would tie-in with their plans to take over Metrorail.
This stems from a national rail policy draft white paper which proposes that metro municipalities take over the rail system, along with the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa).
“We will meet with role-players from the private sector, business leaders, and other interested and affected parties to devise short-term interventions to address the current crisis that rail commuters face on a daily basis,” said Herron.
Recently, Herron took a train from Kraaifontein to the Cape Town CBD along with Janine Myburgh, the president of the Cape Chamber of Commerce.
“The overcrowding, frustration, anxiety, and desperation of those who needed to get on the train to get to work were similar to what I saw and experienced on my commute on the Metrorail Central Line on November 30. The carriage was packed beyond capacity – I did not expect this, given that the schools were closed and some people already on leave,” said Herron.
He said the horrific conditions on the trains needed urgent attention.
“I have decided to call for a rail summit where we all have to gather and work on a crisis plan to address the most pressing issues as a matter of urgency,” he said.
The TDA has devised a business plan which stipulates how the City intends to take over passenger rail.
The City Council on October 26 approved the plan and agreed that the takeover must happen gradually so that the City can plan, acquire the necessary skills, and develop the additional capacity to ensure the long-term sustainability of passenger rail.
The National Land Transport Strategic Framework requires that feasibility studies regarding devolution of passenger rail services to metropolitan municipalities be carried out.