Mr President
Minister Dr Blade Nzimande
Mayor Mzwandile Masina
The Management and Staff of Gibela
Officials in government
Members of the media
Esteemed guests
It is my absolute pleasure to welcome all of you on behalf of the Premier of our Province, David Makhura. This is an historic and momentous occasion.
Today is the official opening of a world-class manufacturing facility in Dunnottar in Ekurhuleni. It is here that the majority of The X'Trapolis MEGA trains for the PRASA rolling stock project will be built – initially 580 trains comprising 3 480 coaches.
The X'Trapolis MEGA train - a South African first - is a state-of-the-art train developed to accommodate South Africa's narrow-gauge rail tracks. The train has been designed with safety in mind – it is compliant with all the latest international safety requirements. More importantly, it is designed to provide regular, reliable and on-time service for South Africa's 2.3 million rail commuters, a number that is expected to double within the next 20 years as rail becomes the transport of choice for large sections of the population.
Our world and our country are faced with several worrisome challenges. For instance, it is estimated that by 2025, 60 percent of the world’s population will be living in urban areas. This rapid urbanization and economic development will increase the demand for the movement of people, goods and services, which will lead to an increase in the prevalence and duration of road congestion. This in turn will lead to long delays daily on the freeways and huge losses in productivity; increased pollution, especially CO2 emissions; a decrease in the quality of life of the people of our country; and an unhealthy and an unsustainable reliance on fossil fuels for the ever-increasing numbers of private motor vehicles on our roads.
A practical effect of this rapid urbanization will be that peak hour traffic will move slower than 15 km/h. So, you may be sitting in a posh BMW that can travel at speeds in excess of 200km/h, but because of traffic congestion, a donkey cart will move faster than you in your smart car.
Secondly, there seems little doubt left that climate change is one of the most significant threats to the future of humanity. There is also consensus on the fact that the transport sector is responsible for 18 percent of all man-made, greenhouse gas emissions globally.
Public transport and commuter rail services are at the forefront of this fight against climate change as it is three to four times more energy-efficient per passenger than private cars. Rail must play a major part in providing greener mobility solutions to reduce CO2 emissions. It must take the responsibility to offer new technologies, business models and opportunities to help decision makers achieve their objectives.
To address our challenges, it is essential that South Africa makes the following three modal shifts:
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Shift as much as possible motorised to non-motorised trips:
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Shift as much as possible from private car use to public transport; and
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Shift as much as possible passenger and freight transport from road to rail.
Gauteng’s 25-year Integrated Transport Masterplan beckons us to develop an integrated public transport system for the Gauteng Global City Region, with rail as the back-bone of this system. Our focus must be on developing a good rail system that is accessible, reliable, safe and affordable. To achieve this, especially in Gauteng, there has to be close co-operation and co-ordination between all three spheres of government.
Metrorail in Gauteng transports an average of 900 000 passengers per day and is a major player in the integrated public transport system. The upgrading of the Metrorail rolling stock and the improvements to the rail infrastructure will boost the efficiency of the integrated public transport system, which will result in sustaining long term economic growth in our province.
We, therefore, would like to congratulate PRASA for this achievement. The Gibela project is more than just a train replacement programme – it is a catalyst for transformation of public transport in South Africa.
With these few remarks, I’d like to welcome all of you to this wonderful event.
