Programme facilitator, Mr Rich Mkhondo
Deputy Minister of Transport, Mr Jeremy Cronin
Premier of Gauteng, Ms Nomvula Mokonyane
Local Organising Committee (LOC) Chief Executive Officer, Dr Danny Jordaan
Transport Director-General, Mr George Mahlalela
Chief Executive Officers from the various transport agencies
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen
Good afternoon to you all. Thank you for joining us at this media briefing on the state of integrated transport readiness for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. I will present an overview of the 2010 transport plans and our national 2010 Transport Coordinator, Ms Lusanda Madikizela, will make a detailed presentation.
The performance of the Department of Transport will be judged in the eyes of South Africans and indeed the world, by its performance during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the African world cup. To this end, government has invested more than R19 billion on public transport infrastructure for the world cup to ensure that the tournament leaves a rich legacy for our country and continent. The transport action plan for 2010 is complete and we are ready to host the world.
Air travel
A key component to the successful hosting of the 2010 FIFA World
Cup will be customer focused and world class airports. Through the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), we are committed to delivering exactly that to thousands of passengers daily. With a mass of additional fans expected for this prestigious tournament, we are fully prepared.
Just a few hours ago, together with the President of the Republic of
South Africa, His Excellency President Zuma, we officially opened the newly revamped international terminal here at OR Tambo International Airport. This is not only the busiest airport on the African continent, but is also an example of our world class airport and aviation infrastructure.
This revamp is the final building block in a complete redevelopment of the terminal precinct. The building finally brings the entire domestic and international areas into one adjoining space, which greatly improves passenger experience and orientation. This dramatic improvement is complemented with the recently completed pier, apron developments, new taxiways, a second parkade and of course, the Gautrain station.
The terminal precinct at Cape Town International Airport has also undergone a complete transformation. The redeveloped airport will boast a common use central terminal with vastly improved retail and food and beverage offerings, additional parking bays in a second parkade as well as a significantly improved road network.
Firsts for this airport are the introduction of an elevated upper roadway with a drop off kerb, which allows passengers to access the check-in hall with greater ease, and domestic air bridges.
In KwaZulu-Natal, the new Greenfield King Shaka International Airport will be operational from 1 May 2010 and will be officially opened by President Zuma on 8 May 2010. King Shaka International Airport will be three times the size of its predecessor with a longer runway, more aircraft parking bays, more manned and self service check-in desks, twice as many retail stores and public parking bays and as a first, 16 air bridges.
The smaller ACSA airports are receiving equal attention as many of them will play a significant role during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. We are therefore also wrapping up a runway revamp and terminal expansion at Bloemfontein International Airport, a terminal upgrade at East London airport, a runway refurbishment at Port Elizabeth International Airport as well as terminal upgrades and expansions at Kimberley and Upington airports.
Land transport
The Department of Transport will have in place an inter-provincial and regional transport system, to be operated and managed by the recently appointed operating managing entity (OME). The OME will facilitate the efficient and safe transport of general spectators to and from matches. A major component of this fleet will comprise 110 newly acquired 79 seater MAN Lion Explorer semi-luxury inter-city buses, specially procured by government for this event.
Furthermore, we have implemented a first class national integrated transport system, which utilises and integrates the services of the newly acquired AutoPax coach fleet (110 units) with that of minibus vehicles and the taxi industry. This will ensure safe, comfortable and well maintained long distance vehicles. These vehicles will be highly recognisable through their unique branding. Furthermore, all fleet vehicles will carry comprehensive insurance and the required passenger liability insurance.
The inter-provincial and regional transport system will be provided in accordance with a pre-determined timetable within the primary route network, which links host cities with both inland and coastal services. Pricing structures range from R140 to R300 for a one way trip.
The introduction of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup passenger transport schedule, along with a variety of inter-city corridors linking inland and coastal host cities for the world cup, will provide public transportation that is reliable, easily accessible, safe and secure, convenient and affordable to all General Spectators attending any of the scheduled matches.
In making these services easily accessible to all, tickets are available through the existing Translux or AutoPax online reservation system and the strictly tickets web based service. In addition, ticket outlets are also available at all Computicket and Checkers in-store money market counters. Pre-booking is essential to pre-determine spectator demand and avoid disappointment.
The delivery of the 570 buses by MAN and Mercedes Benz is on track. The 110 MAN buses which will be used for general spectator services have been delivered. With regard to the 460 Mercedes Benz buses to be used for MATCH and the FIFA Local Organising Committee, 377 have been delivered and the last bus will be delivered on 10 May 2010.
A service level agreement for the leasing of 420 buses to MATCH has been signed, and the development of operational plans is on track with MATCH. A total of 1 079 drivers were in the recruitment process by 14 April
2010. This includes 508 drivers who have been contracted, 326 drivers in the final stages of the recruitment process and 245 drivers who commenced training in November 2009.
Fan parks and public viewing areas constitute the mass character of the world cup; they will stand or fall on the basis of the availability of transport.
The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) is using the 2010 FIFA World Cup as a springboard to upgrade rail infrastructure, to increase mobility and accessibility for commuters. We want to encourage travel by train during the world cup.
Over and above normal transport services, dedicated transport services for the world cup include 418 train sets; 420 buses allocated to MATCH, 200 buses for the FIFA family, 350 buses for general spectators, in addition to the 1 100 buses in operation, as well as 800 midi-buses to be managed by the OME.
Special dedicated trains and buses will be deployed to ferry fans to the respective stadiums across the country. A multi-disciplined operational team is currently working on the issue of train delays in certain areas.
Since all roads lead to Gauteng for the world cup, trains will service matches at the Coca-Cola Park stadium in Johannesburg, the Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria and Soccer City stadium in Nasrec. The Nasrec train station is also currently undergoing a revamp and it would only take fans a few minutes' walk to the stadium.
With regards to road infrastructure, the R23 billion Gauteng Freeway Improvement project (GFIP) is one of the largest such projects to date. The GFIP was implemented before South Africa's 2010 FIFA World Cup soccer bid was granted and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2010.
However, in order to substantially improve accessibility during the world cup, certain construction milestones were set to ensure that most of the construction works for road widening are completed in time for the world cup. All outstanding construction works (except for bridge works) will be suspended for the duration of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and will not result in any adverse impact on traffic movement between world cup venues.
On completion, the network will provide an interconnected freeway system of inner and outer ring roads, including high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes that will contribute to the reduction of congestion.
Road safety
With regards to safety on our roads during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) is responsible for the coordination and implementation of the road safety plan, in conjunction with the South African Police service (SAPS), provincial and local traffic law enforcement agencies, disaster management, fire and ambulance, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), the South African National Roads Agency Limited and the Cross Border Road Transport Agency.
The road safety plan will ensure that there is appropriate traffic law enforcement on identified routes with high traffic volumes, as well as routes leading to and from host cities, airports, hotels, stadia, fan parks, public viewing areas and other places of interest.
National, provincial and host city control centres as well as mobile control centres will be in operation during peak traffic flow periods and match days. There will also be high visibility traffic patrols along main routes. Random roadside checks will be conducted targeting unfit drivers and vehicles. All weighbridges will be manned around the clock, particularly along critical key corridors.
Traffic officers will also assist to ensure free traffic flow along various point duty intersections in cities and built-up areas. Traffic departments will be linked to the incident management components to ensure that all incidents are correctly safe guarded and that the correct protocols are followed. Special attention will also be given to pedestrians.
Standard operating procedures in respect of a number of operational issues have been drafted for implementation by traffic authorities.
Traffic officers around the country underwent additional or refresher training in dealing with aspects such as interpersonal relations, foreign drivers and loads management.
2010 transport command and call centre
A 2010 transport command and call centre located in Gauteng will be operational during the world cup to coordinate and manage the implementation of the 2010 transport plans in conjunction with provinces and host cities. The hub will provide live, real time traffic and transport information that will also facilitate quick decision making and responses to incidents.
Central to this initiative aimed at ensuring that this event runs as smoothly as possible, are three major tools; a national transport command centre, a call centre and an interactive website: "Find Your Way 2010".
We are using a multi-faceted approach to our communication strategy to ensure that as many people as possible, both locals and foreigners are able to conveniently access information that will make their lives easier during this exciting and busy time.
The call centre will operate 24 hours a day. It will be operational from 1 June to 31 July, answering queries relating to transport, traffic and logistics as well as other matters related to the world Cup.
The website, http://www.findyourway2010.co.za, is already up and running and is being constantly updated. It will be helpful for trip planning and accessing a wide range of supporting information. It will also provide details on traffic flows and routes and recommend routes to all matches from host city to host city and within host cities. It will also give information on alternative routes for non-fans, changes to routes and advice where traffic and fan congestion may be taking place.
Conclusion
We have constantly emphasised that the 2010 FIFA World Cup is not only about sport, it is more about tran-sport. With 51 days to go, we, the Transport family, will put our best forward to ensure that all those who use our transport services are able to do so effectively and efficiently. The 2010 FIFA World Cup will leave a lasting transport legacy, way beyond 2010.
TRANSPORT IS READY!!!
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Transport
20 April 2010
