Return to service of the Saulsville line and oversight on infrastructure rehabilitation
On 15 November 2021, we resumed commuter rail services between Saulsville and Pretoria. This line had been closed for rehabilitation in preparation to run the new train sets. Before then, Metrorail operated a service utilizing the old electric traction trains instead of diesel locomotives, as in Mabopane and Mamelodi. Currently, no weekend train service is provided due to ongoing rehabilitation works on infrastructure.
This line is the third of the five lines in Tshwane to be brought back to service.
The recovery of this service forms part of PRASA’s service recovery program aimed at recovering and restoring the commuter rail network while fast-tracking the roll-out of the new modern electric trains.
We are well on track on recovering the 10 priority corridors. Corridors recovered to date, with the deployment of the new trains include:
- Mabopane Corridor in Tshwane
- Southern Line in Cape Town
- Saulsville line in Tshwane
Limited service has also been introduced on the following corridors, still operating the old Metrorail trains:
- Central Line between Cape Town and Langa
- Northern Line between Cape Town and Bellville via Goodwood
- Durban–Umlazi corridor
- Pienaarspoort–Pretoria corridor operating a diesel Service
- Naledi–Johannesburg corridor, operating a diesel service
- Leralla–Elandsfontein corridor, operating a diesel service
PRASA has prioritized the recovery of the Naledi and Pienaarspoort corridors to reintroduce the electrical train services. Appointment of contractors is underway for the critical electrical projects that will see these services recovered during the course of this calendar year.
This will also include the Pretoria–Kaalfontein and Leralla corridors. Sections on central line in Cape Town and the KwaMashu corridors in Durban also earmarked for recovery this year.
On 15 February 2022, a new commercial service was introduced when the new People’s train was introduced following approval to safely operate by the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) on this corridor.
In addition, to ensure that communities have access to economic opportunities, the train service caters for all home stations and a fifth industrial stopping station, Pretoria West Halt, was also added to address commuter needs.
Since the introduction of the new trains average on-time performance stands at 95%. The current service consists of 26 train trips per day on a single line. Once the second line has been electrified and the signal system repaired at Pretoria West, the daily train trips will increase to 59. The service currently transports an average of four thousand six hundred and forty-six (4,646) commuters daily.
In line with our commitment to secure both the people utilizing our trains and the infrastructure, we have deployed 11 protection officials, 9 armed response guards and 4 security guards on board. These are complemented by 11 contracted security personnel, reinforcing security of stations, infrastructure and people on board the trains.
In the rehabilitation and recovery of this line, PRASA has already spent about nine million six hundred and four thousand seven hundred and seventy two rands (R9 604 772) on the electrification of the single line.
PRASA has plans at an advanced stage for additional work forming part of the rehabilitation programme, which will be implemented to the tune of two hundred and fourteen million four hundred and twenty thousand four hundred and eighty-six rands (R214 420 486) for the following works:
- Overhead Traction Equipment (OHTE) rehabilitation and traction substation rehabilitation,
- Signalling rehabilitation,
- Telecommunications rehabilitation and,
- Perway drainage.
The Saulsville Station is located in the densely populated township of Saulsville and neighbouring Atteridgeville. In addition, the Station is an intermodal transport node comprising of train operations, buses, taxis, private vehicles and bicycles.
The Station itself is a critical hub located in the proximity of several social amenities and educational facilities. It is also closely situated to the hostel precinct and sporting facilities.
The Station supports a large, economically active market segment. The location of the Station has a large commuter base of approximately 90% of public transport users, with the vast majority walking to the Station.
The Saulsville Station Precinct boasts a square for retail development, built at the cost of eighty-six million five hundred and ninety-six thousand seven hundred and eleven (R86,596,711).
A total of 21 subcontractors were engaged to complete the work. The major works that weren’t highly specialist in nature, namely brickwork and plastering, were allocated to seventeen (17) contractors, with 13 being local contractors.
The Saulsville Station Square development was completed in 2019 after several years of construction work characterized by project stoppages and other successfully resolved hurdles.
Several tenants had started trading at the Station by the second half of 2019. However, the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions adversely affected their trading. PRASA has since resumed the train service on the Saulsville to Pretoria line.
This will undoubtedly act as a much-needed catalyst to revitalize the station's business activity. In addition, PRASA is in the process of negotiating with key tenants such as Sassa, Tshwane Bus Rapid Transit and other commercial tenants to commit to occupying their earmarked spaces.
The efforts to strengthen governance and build requisite capacity for PRASA to deliver on its mandate are gaining traction.
In the last year PRASA initiated a project called Operation Ziveze aimed at validating employees and unearthing ghost workers.
Initially, PRASA identified three thousand one hundred (3,100) employees who were not physically verified. Further investigations revealed that some of these workers were on sick leave, annual leave, suspensions and maternity leave. PRASA currently stands at two thousand and six (2006) unverified employees. The exercise has also uncovered fifty (50) foreign nationals with fraudulent or expired documents.
Phase 2 of the project, currently underway, is looking at validating Identity Documents, work permits for foreign nationals and matric certificates. To date, PRASA has identified over four hundred (400) employees who either have criminal records and/or fraudulent documents.
PRASA has since frozen the salaries of the two thousand and six (2,006) employees, who comprise of one thousand two hundred and seventy eight (1,278) who have yet to present themselves for physical verification and seven hundred and twenty eight (728) suspected ghost employees.
Phase 3 is the final step that will validate qualifications or fraudulent submissions.
Phase 4 will entail tangible action which includes removal of ghost employees from the system and actioning consequences management against those officials found complicit in creating and concealing ghosts in the payroll system, and recovery of losses suffered by PRASA.
In parallel to this process, PRASA has instituted a Forensic Audit into payroll matter to enable decisive consequences management.
We are on track towards restoring commuter rail service in all the ten (10) identified priority corridors.
I thank you.
