Gautrain celebrates five years of 5-star transport
JOHANNESBURG: Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC Ismail Vadi should stick to politics and forget about driving trains.
He hurtled through the Centurion Gautrain station at 160km/h, failing to stop to pick up passengers and forcing the Gautrain operations control centre to perform an emergency stop to halt the train.
Vadi was “operating” the Gautrain training simulator during a media briefing, held to celebrate the fiveyear anniversary of the operations of the train yesterday.
Much to the amusement of journalists, he opted to attempt to drive a train under the strict guidance of trainer Louis Theunissen, who said that had he been the real driver, he would have received a six-month suspension or, even worse, retribution.
The briefing was to demonstrate the strict safety measures present along the route, and in operations of the train system.
For the first time since Gautrain started operations in June 2010, media representatives were given the opportunity to go on to the “sweeper” train, which left the Midrand depot at 4.26am.
Gautrain staff start at 3am in preparation for the daily operations.
“The sweeper is the first step in preparing for operations every day and its purpose is to inspect the track to ensure there are no safety hazards prior to the start of the passenger train services”, said Jack van der Merwe, chief executive of the Gautrain Management Agency.
The train drivers do a routine check of conditions on the railway tracks to Park, Hatfield and OR Tambo International Airport stations, inspecting also the signage and other possible problems.
Since 2008, not one obstruction has been identified.
Journalists were also taken on a tour of the training centre, where new young drivers are taught how to drive the trains.
“They undergo 41 hours of training on the simulator, followed by five days of practical training, starting off as conductors and progressing to drivers,” said Theunissen.
Applicants have to undergo medical and psychometric tests, as well as internal and internationally accredited tests before being allowed to drive.
If they exceed the speed limit by just 2km/h, they receive warnings. Five kilometres and hour above the limit results in an automatic reduction of speed by the system, and 8km/h over the speed limit results in an automatic emergency stop that halts the train completely.
Drivers have to undergo breathalyser tests and have to sign a declaration of fitness to drive daily, having to declare no medical condition that renders them unfit.
Every two years they have a full fitness evaluation, which includes eye and ear tests, lung and heart tests.
“We are very strict and adhere to international standards of fitness. They also have to undergo refresher courses every two years,” said Theunissen. Ten of the 59 drivers are female. The train carriages, too, are under strict supervision. Every day, every carriage is put through automatic tests to check for faults when they are taken in at night. That is besides the normal routine, and weekly and monthly maintenance checks.
Every coach is cleaned during the night and prepared for the following day.
The Operations Control Centre monitors the entire Gautrain system on a 24-hour basis and this detects any attempts at interference with the system. The centre has picked up attempts at cable theft over the past five years.
Vandalism has been kept to a minimum, with only five acts in five years. These included the smashing of windows, spraying of coaches with graffiti, and cutting of seats. Arrests were made in most cases.
The operations centre not only ensures the system is safe, it also ensures system delays are minimised. There is no compromise on customer safety on the Gautrain and often delays are as a result of a safety threat being detected by the system. Once the threat has been detected, train services are suspended until the problem has been rectified.
Vadi said that since the start of operations five years ago, there have been 50 million passenger trips.
“We have 98 percent efficiency, which is equivalent to any other First World country.
“We have demonstrated that it is possible to built a safe, reliable, efficient and accessible public transport system. Once we have bus rapid transport systems up and running in Tshwane and Ekurhuleni by next year, we have the building blocks for public transport in place,” he said.
“We will then have between 700 and 800km of public transport running. Over and above this, Prasa is refleeting its carriages, so collectively, there is a strong basis for a whole new public transport system in the province,” he said.
The Gautrain has presented Gauteng with an opportunity to empower its citizens and expand the economic activity of the province.