Future projects hang in the balance

Prasa noncommittal on Buffalo City Metro development

The future of development projects proposed by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) to Buffalo City Metro (BCM) in the Eastern Cape remains unclear after the government enterprise allegedly failed to commit on their implementation.

This was revealed in a report tabled before the Buffalo City council last month and compiled by former acting city manager Nceba Ncunyana.

The report stated that “Prasa has been sent numerous invitations and phone call reminders to further discuss their development proposals but to no avail”.

The report that highlighted challenges faced by the metro concerning the proposed projects was noted by the council earlier this month.

Prasa presented its enterprise development plans to the metro a year ago and the two parties agreed that follow-up meetings would have to take place to shape the major projects proposed.

However, the council was informed the meetings never took place as agreed.

The projects included “transport and rail projects”, East London Station Project, BCM infrastructure programme overview and Walter Sisulu Station Project, among others.

In his report Ncunyana, who is Buffalo City’s head of the metro’s infrastructure department, said BCM’s spatial planning and development department will send a letter to Prasa to establish whether it was still interested in pursuing its development proposals.

Prasa had not responded to questions at the time of going to print yesterday .

Contacted for comment, BCM spokesman Sibuso Cindi said Prasa also had plans to have retail facilities at most train stations and more space to allow buses to park and load passengers from within its stations.

Cindi said the retail parks project is also a long-term one.

“Most of their [Prasa] projects are at planning stages and their proposed implementation plan was over [a] 36months period,” he said.