PRASA

The Journey To One Billion Passengers By 2035

By Koketso Mamabolo

Air-conditioning, CCTV cameras, automated doors - these aren’t the features the first passenger train in South Africa had all the way back in 1860. The steam engines have made way for state-of-the-art feats of engineering handed over to the Passenger Rail Agency South Africa (PRASA) from Gibela’s factory in Ekhuruleni.

At its peak PRASA was carrying half a billion passengers each year but after facing a host of challenges, and dropping to less than 200 million per annum, the organisation is steadily revitalising the service that was once the lifeblood of the urban economy with hopes to not only reach the old numbers but to double them over the next decade.

Having an expansive and efficient passenger rail system which runs through the main arteries of the country will ease the congestion in metropolises such as Cape Townwhich is expected to become the most populated city in South Africa in the coming decade. The coastal city has the 9th worst traffic in the world - the worst in Africa - with residents losing an average of 83 hours a year travelling between local destinations. According to the 2023 Global Traffic Scorecard, Johannesburg ranks 26th in the world with 55 hours lost and Pretoria at 60th with 52 hours lost.

While the taxi and bus industries have filled the gaps where possible, the sheer number of people trains can carry make them the most efficient and cheapest form of transport. Gibela’s X’Trapolis Mega, which they are producing for PRASA, can hold 1 200 passengers with just 6 carriages. Coupled with the speed and ease which trains can navigate the cities, Metro-rail can easily be the solution to the congestion as PRASA gets closer and closer to its pre-pandemic passenger numbers.

A well-functioning passenger rail system not only offers more efficient travel for commuters by reducing travel time and vehicle ownership costs, but also offers affordable travel which brings benefits such as access to healthcare facilities, schools, more disposable income and job opportunities. PRASA’s long-term strategy is based on the socioeconomic benefits it can provide, guided by the National Rail Policy white paper.

It’s estimated that across the system households will save about R20 per trip. A monthly ticket can cost less than R200, compared to monthly bus tickets which can start at around R900 per month. PRASA estimates that the total economic impact of its investment in infrastructure will be a minimum of R189-billion. For every R1-million it spends on infrastructure it creates 2 direct jobs, 2 indirect jobs and 3.5 induced jobs. A fully recovered rail system will inject an extra ten to twenty billion rand into the economy each year.

Down The Right Corridor

In the past three years PRASA has been working on recovering its corridors, reopening its rail lines, doing maintenance on stations, promoting rail safety and putting Gibela’s trains to work. To date, 31 out of 40 corridors have been recovered, 300 stations have been refurbished and 1 000km of cabling has been re-installed.

A staggering R36-billion has been dedicated to the capital programmes, including funds towards Gibela, a transport consortium tasked with delivering 600 trains to PRASA, creating and maintaining an estimated 250 000 jobs, above and beyond the jobs created by the organisation itself, which stand at 15 000 over the last three years. The new security strategy, aimed at protecting commuters and infrastructure, has generated almost 10 000 jobs. According to PRASA, its operational initiatives, rolling stock programme and infrastructure have created 33 965 jobs.

The organisation has gone from only reaching 19% of its annual performance targets a few years ago to 87% in the most recent financial year. This improved performance was on full display this year at major sporting events which presented the perfect opportunity to show how affordable and efficient travelling by rail can be, but also recalling the unique charm trains offer commuters.

Leading up to the test match at Ellis Park between the Springboks and New Zealand’s All Blacks - which saw the Metrorail and Gautrain services providing supporters with an easy, traffic way to get to the game - Minister Barabara Creecy reflected on the fact that it was a perfect opportunity to showcase how “different elements of public transport can and should work together.”

Fans from both sides, including dignitaries such as New Zealand’s Deputy High Commissioner, were given a first-hand experience of the high-tech, modern trains, extensive security and general, traffic free journey which PRASA hopes to improve even further to realise the dream of a high-performance network that will help reach the levels of growth and development that the millions of people living in South Africa need.

Sources: Prasa | SA Rail Conference | Daily Maverick | IOL | News24 | SABC | Infrastructure News | Gibela | Department of Transport | Leadership Magazine | Public Sector Manager | INRIX