Address by the Minister of Transport, MS Dipuo Peters, on the occassion of the officially handing over of the PRASA Nerve Centre at Kaalfontein, Ekurhuleni
Gauteng Premier, David Makhura; MEC Ismail Vadi;
MMC Roads and Transport in Ekurhuleni; Cllr Petrus Muhlari; Chairperson of the Board of PRASA, Ntate Popo Molefe; Acting CEO of PRASA, Nathi Khena;
HOD Gauteng Roads and Transport, Mr Ronald Swartz; CEOs and representatives of State entities present; Officials from the Department of Transport;
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am delighted today, to officially open the PRASA Gauteng Nerve Centre, three days since the official launch of the October Transport Month 2015. The centre will act as the signalling control hub of PRASA’s passenger rail network, where all passenger train activities in Gauteng can be monitored.
October was declared Transport Month in 2005, the month used to raise awareness on the important role of transport in the economy and to encourage participation from civil society and business, including the provision of a safe and more affordable, accessible and reliable transport system in the country. The month is also used to engage in extensive campaigns showcasing progress achieved in various transport programmes and projects. This year's Transport Month theme is “Together we move South Africa Forward.”
It goes without saying that effective operation of the transport system depends on the inter-relationship of a number of factors, which includes governance, service delivery, management, responsibility, and funding.
The transport portfolio does not exist in isolation, but as an integral part of the economic and social fabric of our country. It is for this reason that our programmes and interventions should also seek to meet or stimulate the attainment of other national policy goals such as:
- Job creation and poverty eradication;
- Redressing apartheid spatial development;
- Local economic development and regional integration;
- Safety of all users of the different modes of transport and Skills development.
The commitment we make as a Department of Transport is to implement the National Development Plan’s key priorities on the maintenance of road infrastructure, upgrading rail infrastructure and services, as well as building and operating our public transportation.
Our contribution to the National Development Plan is underpinned by the National Transport Master Plan (NATMAP) 2050 vision. The NATMAP is therefore aimed at delivering a dynamic, long term and sustainable transportation system framework which is demand responsive and that provides a coordinated transport agenda for the whole country.
Programme Director,
The aim of the Gauteng Nerve Centre (GNC) is to address PRASA’s challenges and in particular:
- The railway infrastructure and technology that has reached the end of its design lifespan,
- Poor levels of reliability and predictability,
- High costs of maintenance,
- Failure to contribute to an efficient transport system,
- Inability to support economic activity and limited access to socio- economic opportunities for rural and urban poor.
The concept of GNC is based on reports from two feasibility studies that were conducted into the establishment of a Centralised Operational Control Centre for Metrorail Wits region. With the merger of Wits and Tshwane regions, it was decided to include Tshwane as part of the Operational Control Centre and the name of Gauteng Nerve Centre (GNC) was adopted.
The proposed location for the building of the GNC has benefits from an operability point of view. It is central to the new Gauteng Region, it has easy access from the freeway, it has an open ground and it has enough space to include facilities for the Infrastructure and emergency response teams.
Government, through PRASA owns 2 280 Kilometers of South Africa’s rail network and uses some of the 22 000 Kilometers of rail track under the control of Transnet. It has 585 train stations and a total fleet of 4 735 coaches, with an overall staff complement of 18 207. Thus making communication and intergration a very critical and essential element of the company’s day to day operations.
Government will be spending in the region of R51 billion on New Rail Rolling Stock and R4 billion on new Hybrid Locomotives in the next 5- year period. In the previous 2014/15 financial year, PRASA transported 2 million passengers and covered fifty five million (55m) passenger trips.
The entity refurbished 291 Metrorial and 298 Shosholoza Meyl coaches, and upgraded 27 stations nationally. We can safely say that PRASA and Transnet initiatives places South Africa as having the largest wholesale renewal and general overhaul rail programme in Africa. We are engaging in some of the most challenging rail engineering projects of its kind, which firmly positions South Africa as the manufacturing hub of rolling stock in the African Continent. This has also been acknowledged by the AU through the Presidential Infrastructure Champion Initiative (PICI) headed by President Jacob Zuma, by expressing interest in making South Africa the hub of rolling stock manufacturing for the entire continent.
As part of the preparation for the new rolling stock, upgrades and modernization of stations and depots to the tune of R2,2 billion are being undertaken throughout the country.
Railways in South Africa operated almost more than a century without the overarching Policy framework that guided its development. To date, the Department of Transport started a process of developing the National Rail Policy for South Africa. This policy will go a long way in ensuring that we create the much needed policy dialogue that will set rail trajectory for development.
As we are officially handing over this world class facility to PRASA today, we are of the view that the days of having a fault based signalling system and unreliable data will become a thing of the past.
The investment that the Gauteng Nerve Centre brings to South Africa will ensure that we change the rail landscape of our country forever and put PRASA at the forefront of signalling technology. As the myriad of investments is taking place in our railway industry, all these developments will require integration, which makes the GNC pivotal to the whole railway system.
As I conclude, let me take this opportunity to thank the PRASA Board, led by the Chairperson, Ntate Popo Molefe and the PRASA Staff, led by Ntate Nathi Khena for their continued dedication and commitment, even under difficult circumstances at times. I also extend my appreciation to the Rail Safety Regulator for the role that they continue to play in ensuring that rail safety is always guaranteed.
I also would like to thank the Premier of Gauteng, Ntate David Makhura and MEC for Roads and Transport in Gauteng for sharing the same vision that we have of ensuring that we provide a safe, reliable and cost effective rail system in South Africa.
To all of us, let us use this facility to the benefit all the people of South Africa.
I thank you.
