Train service came under fire last week, when regional head of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA), Richard Walker, visited Nolungile train station to experience first-hand the challenges faced by commuters.
He had been invited by the Public Transport Voice (PTV), a public transport advocacy group, on Wednesday August 8. The visit followed complaints by PTV and a social audit of different train lines conducted at the end of May.
PTV said it had looked at, among others, toilet conditions, communication, and the presence of security guards at the stations and on trains.
PTV spokesman Dalton Ndongeni said they discovered that there were major imbalances in the allocation of resources, with the central line getting the least.
“After we conducted the audits we sat down with our members and scrutinised the report. As a result of that, our branches felt that we should prioritise safety and security, especially at Nolungile and Nonkqubelo stations where people are victims of robberies,” he said.
He added that criminals got onto the platforms and robbed commuters of their belongings at gunpoint.
“We felt that the safety of commuters was compromised hence we called Mr Walker and other stakeholders,” he said.
He blamed Prasa for being reactionary and called for stringent measures to protect commuters to be introduced.Khayelitsha resident and train commuter, Mzuvikile Zokhwe, said it was risky to have an expensive mobile phone if you travelled by train. He told Mr Walker that he bought a monthly ticket but never used it because there were often no trains. “I do not blame people who do not buy train tickets. Give a better service and security,” he said.
Ndumiso Mbokwane, a commuter from Philippi, said he used trains because they were affordable, but he bemoaned the delays. “I was at this station at 5am, but I got a train 7am. This is ridiculous,” he complained.
In his response to concerns raised, Mr Walker said they faced major challenges, including the vandalism of their infrastructure. “We’ve got challenges of crime as a society, not just as Prasa. But we are working very closely with the Rapid Rail Police,” he said.
He said vandalism and loss of infrastructure in Heideveld and Bonteheuwel sub-station led to poor service delivery. “We have seen relentless attacks on that sub-station. Our guys are shot at,” he said.
“We still have a member who has bullet in him. Gangs have now started with Mandalay. They steal copper cables,” he said. “We must work together with the communities to report and note the thugs. We should own the trains and the stations,” he said.
However, he added, it was not all doom and gloom. Prasa had begun building a wall along the tracks to protect the infrastructure, he said.”We are working hard. We have also started with resignalling. The new trains that cost R3 billion are coming here. We will replace the fleet here. But we should be conscious as people and own these things. The recent train burnings also exacerbate the challenges we have,” he added.
