Transport at the launch of the new Kei Rail Coaches, AmaBhele Station
19 February 2009
Mayor and Councillors of Amahlathi Municipality
Executive Mayor and Councillors of Amathole District Municipality
Traditional leaders
Representatives from the business fraternity, especially tourism industry
Distinguished guests
Community members
Ladies and gentlemen
It is indeed a great honour for us as the Eastern Cape Department of Roads
and Transport to finally unveil these new Kei Rail Coaches worth R21 million,
which will be used in our daily service that will commence on 1 March 2009 â
exactly a year after the launch of the weekend passenger service.
This marks a significant progress of the Kei Rail Project and the
realisation of a commitment that we have made to our people that very soon we
would introduce this daily service, which will be linked with the Shosholoza
Meyl Service between Johannesburg and East London.
It will make it easier for people of Komga, Butterworth, Dutywa and Mthatha
to get home safely, on time and at affordable prices. They will get a diverting
train from AmaBhele Station every day.
As a caring government, today we are delivering on our promise of a safe,
reliable, accessible and affordable public transport system.
This is a second phase of the operations of Kei Rail, following a successful
weekend passenger service, which has transported more than 6 300 people to date
and made a revenue of more than R85 000.
We expect more people to use this new service, as we have added eight more
stations to improve accessibility for our rural communities.
This service has already had its socio-economic impact, especially on job
creation and poverty alleviation, which included:
* 424 employment opportunities, especially for youth (258), women (99) and
people with disabilities (four)
* R43 million which was paid to contractors, of which R21,9 million was spent
on 40 small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs).
In our midst, we have students, who are currently undergoing training on
this line as train drivers, train control officers, operations managers train
and train managers.
As from April, track welders and track masters will be trained.
Since last year, the Department of Roads and Transport has played a pivotal
role in bringing the Phelophepha train on this line to provide our people with
healthcare services at their doorstep at very affordable prices.
As a result:
* 24 497 patients were treated in 2008
* 223 602 students received various healthcare services including HIV and AIDS,
dental care and reached through workshops in 2008
* 2 474 patients treated in 2009
* 318 students treated in 2009
As we speak, people are occupying their houses at Zimbane Valley to move out
of the Zamukulungisa Siding. Already 35 of the 134 households have got their
keys and title deeds and the project will be completed in March 2009.
The two new coach sets consist of:
* a power car
* a luggage car
* a business class coach, seating 48 passengers
* a four-sleeper coach, accommodating 24 passengers
* two six-sleeper coaches, each accommodating 36 passengers
* a catering car, consisting of two serving areas and a fully-equipped
kitchen
* five economy class coaches, each seating 64 passengers
Thus, a single Kei Rail train is able to transport 464 passengers in comfort
between Mthatha and East London.
The luggage car, combined with reinforced overhead luggage racks, ensures
all coaches have ample space for passengers to travel comfortably.
Kei Rail has added a container to house luggage which may not fit in the
reinforced luggage racks in the coaches themselves. Passengers will now be able
to transport even large items of luggage securely and comfortably.
All passenger coaches are fitted with bathrooms. Besides the five economy
class coaches, all coaches are also fitted with hot water geysers. The sleeper
coaches also have showers.
Housed in a six-metre container, the new Kei Rail power car generator
produces enough electricity to run the train for a full 90 hours, using 3 600
litres of fuel.
The brand-new Kei Rail catering car features two serving areas and a fully
equipped kitchen. Fully qualified staff will serve healthy meals and packaged
food to Kei Rail passengers, ensuring their comfort and satisfaction.
This means that we are serious about improving the conditions of our trains
in order to attract more people back to rail.
In order to ensure safety on the train and to protect the coaches from
vandalism, the department has an agreement with the South African Police
Service (SAPS) Railway Unit to accompany the train at all times. They will also
have a permanent police station at AmaBhele and Mthatha.
In the new financial year, we are planning to introduce a workers and
scholars train between Butterworth and Mthatha every morning and afternoon.
The Department of Roads and Transport has gone out on tender for expression
of interest for companies that will design, manufacture and supply the new high
speed coaches for this line and other strategic lines in the province.
Through our newly adopted 10 Year Rail Plan, we want to make rail services
viable, especially to rural areas of the province through collaboration with
various stakeholders, including local government and the private sector.
Our goal is to identify areas in which the provincial government should be
involved to ensure that rail transport occupies its rightful space in the
overall transport environment of the Eastern Cape and supports the Provincial
Growth and Development Plan (PGDP).
We have noted an increase in the levels of road traffic of freight, public
passenger and private passenger vehicle transport causing congestion around our
cities and damage to our roads.
The allocated budget for roads infrastructure in this province is unable to
deal with this pressure.
This situation necessitates government and its social partners to consider
rail as an option in order to save the declining road infrastructure and to
improve our public transport system through providing a safe, reliable and
affordable service.
Fortunately, we are not re-inventing the wheel, instead we intend to revive
our rail network, which consists of approximately 3 800 route kilometres and
approximately 450 stations, which are currently under-utilised.
Our railway operating conditions show that:
* 37 percent of our rail infrastructure is abandoned
* Only 23 percent of infrastructure is good, including the Port Elizabeth to
Noupoort and East London to Bethulie
* 18 percent is fair and that refers to Blaney to Cookhouse and Amabhele to
Mthatha
* 22 percent is poor, including Addo to Kirkwood, Alicedale to Grahamstown,
Port Elizabeth to Avontuur and Port Elizabeth to Willowmore
* Some stations have been redeveloped, while many others are derelict and the
rest is generally poor.
The National Freight Logistics Strategy released in 2005 projected that the
Port Elizabeth Corridor would carry 39 percent more freight than it did in 2003
by the year 2020 and the East London corridor would carry 31 percent more.
In both instances more than 90 percent would be carried by road and between
six percent and nine percent by rail.
Both corridors have huge economic potential as they house the Coega and East
London Industrial Development Zones (IDZs), which are expected to contribute
significantly to the provincial economy.
These corridors are the hub of the automotive industry, which is the anchor
of the manufacturing sector in the Eastern Cape. The industry is located in
Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and East London, and is dominated by four vehicle
assemblers (MBSA, General Motors, Volkswagen and Ford) and related components
manufacturers. The industry contributes 60 percent of South Africa's passenger
car exports.
The analysis of the latest freight movements indicates that:
* 3,6 million tons per annum are transported into the Eastern Cape (especially
manganese that is being transported to Port Elizabeth)
* 0,3 million tons per annum are transported out of the Eastern Cape
* 0,7 million tons per annum are transported within the province
The coming into life of the Port of Ngqurha further poses a challenge for us
to improve our freight handling methods.
Through this plan, we are considering new connections between Tarkastad and
Cradock to serve Indwe to Coega, Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City via
Grahamstown and Alice because it is expensive along the coast (this will link
with Mthatha through the Kei Rail line), Buffalo City to Mthatha via new link
to Butterworth.
We remain committed to re-open the lines such as East London to Alice, Coega
to Motherwell Loop, Sterkstroom to Maclear to support timber industry and coal
mining.
Furthermore there is also a partnership with Dutch Railway Organisation and
the University of Delft in the Netherlands focusing on station management.
Skills development:
Our Rail Plan is supported by a skills development strategy, which includes
the opening of the Rail Centre of Excellence at the University in partnership
with various engineering departments from Further education training (FET)
Colleges and rail sector stakeholders.
The university has allocated a building at its Engineering Department in
Chiselhurst, East London, to start the operations in April 2009.
In conclusion, I would like to call upon the communities along this line to
protect these trains from vandalism as they will assist in improving their
living conditions and access to public transport.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Roads and Transport, Eastern Cape Provincial
Government
19 February 2009
