Subscribe & Follow

Advertise your job vacancies

Prasa to run all Gauteng trains from new centre

6 Oct 2015

The Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa), which operates commuter and long-distance passenger trains, launched its Gauteng Nerve Centre, a single control point for the agency in the province. This comes as Prasa is spending billions of rands on its rail systems and new rolling stock to replace its ageing fleet.

cattalin via pixabay

The centre in Kempton Park is part of Prasa's R172bn modernisation programme and cost R155m. It is expected to improve train punctuality and safety. Signalling equipment will also be overhauled in Gauteng (R3.8bn), Durban (R1.3bn) and Cape Town (R1.8bn).

In July, 400 people were injured in a train crash in Johannesburg caused by faulty signals. The Railway Safety Regulator has since instituted an audit of Prasa's signalling system in Gauteng and a report on the matter is due to be released soon.

Prasa is testing some of the 70 locomotives procured at almost R5bn from Spanish manufacturer Vossloh Espana for its long-distance Shosholoza Meyl service. A Railway Safety Regulator report on whether the locomotives are safe to operate commercially is expected within two weeks. Next month, the first of 600 trains will arrive from Brazil, as part of Prasa's R51bn order from Gibela Rail Consortium, of which Alstom Southern Africa Holdings is a majority shareholder.

South Africa's railway sector teething

Speaking at the commissioning of the Gauteng Nerve Centre, Transport Minister Dipuo Peters described the centre as the first of its kind on the continent.

"Those 600 trains that we have invested in are coming. Hence it is important that we get our act right. There were challenges in the first locomotives and that is why I said we owe the people of SA the Railways Safety Regulator report. Making an investment of this nature after years of no investment, is bound to have hiccups and teething problems," she said.

Gauteng premier David Makhura urged Prasa to focus on its "core mandate" of creating a modern passenger rail system. "Prasa is too important a state-owned enterprise to be allowed to fail. We need the new trains with urgency to move more than one million people daily," Makhura said.

Prasa's 24 stations in Gauteng will be resignalled and connected to the nerve centre, which will begin operating next year. There are also plans to connect the Gautrain to the nerve centre.

Prasa board director Mashila Matlala said the centre was the answer to years of underinvestment in rail infrastructure.

Source: Business Day

Source: I-Net Bridge

For more than two decades, I-Net Bridge has been one of South Africa’s preferred electronic providers of innovative solutions, data of the highest calibre, reliable platforms and excellent supporting systems. Our products include workstations, web applications and data feeds packaged with in-depth news and powerful analytical tools empowering clients to make meaningful decisions.

We pride ourselves on our wide variety of in-house skills, encompassing multiple platforms and applications. These skills enable us to not only function as a first class facility, but also design, implement and support all our client needs at a level that confirms I-Net Bridge a leader in its field.

Go to: http://www.inet.co.za