Johannesburg – Overcrowding on Metrorail trains and train cancellations, which always leave commuters stranded in Gauteng, will be a thing of the past, thanks to the newly revamped 10M5 commuter trains.
Transport Minister Dipuo Peters officially unveiled the 48 newly refurbished 10M5 train coaches at the Naledi station in Soweto on Thursday morning.
The trains were revamped at a cost of R1.8 billion.
Speaking before boarding one of the refurbished commuter trains during the morning rush hour at Naledi station, Peters said the trains were important in terms of moving commuters with the cheapest mode of public transport in South Africa.
“The ruling African National Congress (ANC) gave us a mandate to ensure that we have safe, secure, reliable and affordable public transport.
“Being able to move two million of our people daily clearly means that this is one sector of the transport system that we need to strengthen.
“Refurbishment is very important because if you can take care of that … and be able to sustain it, when the new (trains come in), they will just add onto what you already have.
“We are also here to get a feel of what commuters feel every day as they travel to their respective destinations.”
Before boarding, the minister purchased a ticket from the ticket sales officials at the platforms.
Peters was accompanied by Gauteng Transport MEC, Ismail Vadi, and Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) group chief executive officer, Lucky Montana, during her train ride.
Together with her entourage, they inspected the new features on the refurbished train and also interacted with passengers inside the train.
The 10M5 trains include a completely new body and improved commuter comfort and control systems constructed from an innovative modular manufacturing system.
Commuters will now enjoy better seating, lighting suitable for reading and ventilation, improved braking and electronic interiors.
Just like the old trains, the refurbished trains are also marked by numbers, which passengers are expected to memorise.
Again, passengers have a choice between two classes of travel; the Metro class or the more luxurious Metroplus, which has upholstered and more comfortable seats.
The latter is generally less congested than the former, but the luxury comes at a price which is still affordable.
A Metroplus monthly ticket on the Johannesburg - Naledi route costs less than R200, while the same ticket on the Metro class costs just less than R100. Single journeys from Johannesburg to Naledi are R7.50 for Metroplus and R4 for Metro.
The minister also took a ride on the Gautrain from Park Station to Pretoria Station and conducted on-site inspections of it, together with its bus services as part of assessing public rail transport facilities and services in Johannesburg and Pretoria.
Last year, Prasa announced that it will spend R136 billion to acquire about 7 000 new trains and upgrade and modernise train stations.
Of the total amount, R13 billion will be spent on infrastructure development and about R3 billion will be spent on the construction of new depots in Cape Town and Gauteng.
Montana said the first new trains are expected as early as 2015. He said they were expecting to receive in the region of 500 to 600 coaches a year until 2032.
He said the current fleet was ageing and there was a need to acquire new trains to improve services. Most of the current trains are about 40 years old. The roll-out of the programme is expected to create about 65 000 job opportunities. - SAnews.gov.za
