Transport Deputy Minister Mr Jeremy Cronin joined the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR), to deliver a keynote address at a Railway Safety Imbizo in Mamelodi. The event was held in the community of Mamelodi East on 12 October 2011, as part of the October Transport Month.
The Deputy Minister started by reminding everyone in attendance that each and every South African citizen has a right to travel. He then said in order for everyone to travel freely, South Africa’s public transport infrastructure, including rail, has to be in good condition. “As government we have to admit that the struggle continues when it comes to our rail infrastructure. The average person in Tshwane travels a distance of 27 kilometres, while a person in London travels eight kilometres’’, said Mr Cronin. Even though as government we have attained freedom “we are still constrained by geography and land use planning legacy of the past”.
The Deputy Minister then assured the community that Government had plans in place to improve the railway infrastructure. He then made reference to the Green View Train Station that Passenger Rail Agency of South African (PRASA) was building for the convenience of the Mamelodi community.
“In the past, there was no train station in Green View, people had to ride past their homes and get off at the next station, then walk back home. This caused a lot of frustration and people started dismantling train cables in order for it to stop so they could get off”, he said. He said the building of the Green View Station was just a fraction of what government was planning to do; "in the next 20 years, we are going to change the whole PRASA Rail Fleet of trains."
The Deputy Minister went on to stress the role of community members in railway safety. “As government we have a problem of people having their informal settlements very close to the railway reserve. When we put a fence next to the line (for their own safety) they then steal it, and it becomes part of their settlements. Community members need to start owning government property, as it is there to serve them”, he said.
In conclusion, the Deputy Minister said the Railway Safety Regulator was starting to make a significant difference in the rail environment. He said, “In the past we had operators being both a player and a referee at the same time. The RSR is a fairly new but growing organisation but its presence is now felt throughout the rail industry”.
Enquiries:
Carvel Webb
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Note to Editors. The mandate of the RSR is to:
- oversee safety in railway transport, while operators remain responsible for managing safety of their operations
- develop an appropriate regulatory framework through thedevelopment of regulations and standards for safe railway operations
- monitor and ensure safety compliance through the conducting of audits, inspections, safety assessments and occurrence investigations
- collect and disseminate information relating to safe railway operations
- promote the harmonisation of the railway safety regime of South Africa with Southern African Development Community (SADC) railway operations and
- promote improved safety performance in order to promote the use of rail.
