The Gauteng government wants to take over the running of trains in the province and place that responsibility under its newly formed Gauteng Transport Authority.
The proposal is made in the Growing Gauteng Together Through Smart Mobility 2030 document launched in Sandton yesterday.
The document is a road map aimed at addressing all the transport problems through integration and the use of technology, data and investment in public transport infrastructure.
Head of the department of transport, Makhukhu Mampuru, said the provincial government has proven that it can run trains through the Gautrain.
“We want to be given an opportunity to do the same for the mass movement in the form of Metrorail….There was a policy proposal and we said we could ledge into that proposal. We are not hung up about it and we’re not going to cause a war but we think we can run an efficient rail system,” said Mampuru.
Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa), the parent company of Metrorail, is responsible for the running of commuter trains across the country.
But over the past few years, Prasa has failed to deliver an efficient service, which agitated commuters who in return burnt trains, depleting an already strained rail service.
In Gauteng, the ending of security contracts by Prasa left rail infrastructure exposed to theft and vandalism. This has left Prasa only operating a very limited rail commuter service in the province, leaving thousands of commuters to take taxis or buses which are expensive.
The new Gauteng Transport Authority is led by interim CEO Jack van der Merwe, who also led the Gautrain Management Agency for years.
It is not the first time that a provincial government has proposed taking over the running of the rail service. Western Cape has been calling for national government to give it powers to run Metrorail as it believed it can deliver a better service.
One other proposal made by the Gauteng government is the development of a digital map which reflects all the taxi routes in Gauteng and partly addresses route conflict.
Mampuru said the trend is that there are routes that are operational but not lucrative. However, when there is a huge housing development or a mall along them, other taxi associations want to expand their operations to those routes.
“We need to know where we have allocated now so that we know who is moving where…You have a map, the map translates into routes, you are able to tell this guy is not supposed to be here.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.