- Metrorail (South Africa)
-
Metrorail is an operator of commuter rail services in the major urban areas of South Africa. It is a division of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA), a state-owned enterprise which is responsible for most passenger rail services in South Africa. The Metrorail system consists of 471 stations, 2,228 kilometres (1,384 mi) of track, and carries an average of 1.7 million passengers per weekday.[1]
Metrorail was formed as a business unit of Transnet and was transferred to the South African Rail Commuter Corporation (SARCC), the predecessor of PRASA. In the early 1990s Metrorail was placed under Spoornet, another business unit of Transnet but on 1 January 1997, Metrorail became an independent business within Transnet and the Metrorail regions were formed. In 2006 Metrorail was transferred back into the SARCC; in 2008 the SARCC became PRASA.
Contents
Regions
Because Metrorail operates services in several separate cities, for operational purposes it is subdivided into four regions.
Map of Metrorail Gauteng Region
- Gauteng region
Main article: Metrorail GautengPreviously were two regions Witwatersrand in the south and Tshwane in the north. The southern area covers the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area (also known as the Witwatersrand). Trains run from Johannesburg and Germiston outwards to Springs, Pretoria (in the Tshwane region, see below), Soweto and Krugersdorp.[2]
The northern part covers Pretoria and surrounding suburbs. Trains run from Pretoria station outwards to the various suburbs of the city, as well as southwards to Johannesburg (in the Witwatersrand region).[3]
Map of Metrorail Durban Region- Durban region
Main article: Metrorail KwaZulu-NatalThis region covers Durban and the surrounding suburbs and towns. Trains run from Durban station outwards as far as Stanger on the north coast, Kelso on the south coast, and Cato Ridge inland. [4]
Map of Metrorail Eastern Cape- Eastern Cape region
Main article: Metrorail Eastern CapeThis region operates two separate lines in the Eastern Cape: one running from East London to Berlin, and one from Port Elizabeth to Uitenhage. Plans are in the pipeline to connect to Coega [5]
Map of Metrorail Western Cape- Western Cape region
Main article: Metrorail Western CapeThis region covers the Cape Town metropolitan area and surrounding towns. Trains run from Cape Town railway station southwards to Simon's Town, southeastwards to Mitchell's Plain and Khayelitsha, and eastwards through Bellville to Strand, Stellenbosch and Wellington; occasional services run to Malmesbury and Worcester.[6]
Track & Equipment
See also: SAR Class 5M2Metrorail trains, as with the rest of the South African rail network, run on 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Cape gauge track. Some routes run on track owned and operated by SARCC; other routes run on track operated by Transnet and also used for long-distance and freight traffic.
Most Metrorail services are operated by Electric Multiple Unit train sets of the type 5M2A. Since 1999, these trains are being refurbished. Everything above the underframe is completely removed, and replaced by new, prefabricated wall and roof modules.[7]. In 2007 alone more than 300 coaches were refurbished.[8] The new trains are designated 10M3 (Cape Town), 10M4 (Gauteng) or 10M5 (Durban).[9][10]
The Metrorail services on the Eastern Cape are operated by four diesel trains, each consisting of ten coaches and a diesel locomotive.[11]
280 train sets operate on the system,[1] each able to carry up to 1800 passengers.[12]
Safety concerns
In recent years, much concern has been raised about the safety of passengers on Metrorail trains, both due to crime and accidents.[13][14] Serious incidents include murders and assaults on board trains; several level crossing accidents,[15][16] and a crash in Soweto.[17] An organisation called the Rail Commuters Action Group instituted a lawsuit against Metrorail and the government to force them to invest more money in security.[18] The case reached the Constitutional Court, which declared that Metrorail has "an obligation to ensure that reasonable measures are taken to provide for the security of rail commuters".[19] Despite this, safety on the trains remains a concern.[20]
Metrorail services have also suffered from instances of train-burning by disgruntled passengers,[21] in some cases forcing the closure of lines;[22] as well as incidents of cable theft disrupting services.[23]
In 2006 a serious level crossing accident killed 19 people. See 2006 Cape Town truck-train collision.
See also
- Transnet
- Spoornet
- Gautrain
- Metrorail (Western Cape)
- Johannesburg-Durban High Speed Rail
References
- ^ a b Metrorail National Facts
- ^ Metrorail Regional Routes—Witwatersrand
- ^ Metrorail Regional Routes—Tshwane
- ^ Metrorail Regional Routes—Durban
- ^ Metrorail Regional Routes—Eastern Cape
- ^ Metrorail Regional Routes—Western Cape and Route Map
- ^ Technical Information
- ^ SARCC Annual Report 2006/07
- ^ Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) Class 6M - 8M - 10M3 - 10M5 Photos
- ^ J Radebe: Launch of 10M5 coach
- ^ Eastern Cape Metrorail 2010 Operational Plan April 2008
- ^ Metrorail Homepage
- ^ IOL: Class action suit launched against Metrorail
- ^ IOL: 'Train safety, efficiency vital for 2010'
- ^ IOL: Train derailed after collision with trailer
- ^ IOL: News for South Africa and the World
- ^ IOL: Scores injured as trains crash in Soweto
- ^ IOL: Commuters take rail terror battle to court
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ IOL: The perilous Khayelitsha train line
- ^ IOL: Stranded passengers torch trains in Soweto
- ^ :: Metrorail - Getting South Africa To Work ::
- ^ IOL: Scorpions bust alleged cable theft syndicate
External links
- SARCC website
- Metrorail website
- Metrorail Cape Town website
- Transnet website
- Spoornet website
- South African Trains - A Pictorial Encyclopaedia
Rolling stock Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa Categories:- Metrorail (South Africa)
- Transport operators of South Africa
- Passenger rail transport in South Africa
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
