By More Matshediso
Pretoria – The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has unveiled a prototype of its new state-of-the-art train to the public at the Pretoria Bosman Station to give passengers a feel of what they can expect from its new trains.
PRASA has already received 12 of the 20 new trains from Brazil and its spokesperson Nana Zenani told SAnews that the next stage will be for the Rail Safety Regulator (RSR) to grant PRASA an operating certificate and permission to test the trains.
It is only after those stages that the trains will be deployed to transport passengers to various destinations.
However, Zenani said old trains will still be operating, even when the new ones come on board.
“For the next 10 to 15 years, PRASA will continue to run the current trains and will gradually phase-out the current trains as the Modernisation Programme progresses to different areas.
“This means that PRASA will continue to refurbish its current trains and improve on its operational efficiencies. The Modernisation Programme and the roll out of new trains will see PRASA deliver world class quality to the people of South Africa.”
Zenani said the new trains are expected to start running at the first deployment corridor between Pienaarspoort and Koedoespoort in Pretoria, while PRASA continues to modernise the rest of its infrastructure over the next 20 years as part of its Modernisation Programme.
So what’s different?
Firstly, long distance trains such as those running from Pretoria to Johannesburg will have ablution facilities on board.
The train is a long tube made of six-car trains that carry 1 344 passengers. The new trains no longer have closed coaches at each end but will be one continuous tube with all six coaches visible from one end to the other.
The train also have an air conditioning system, which cools the environment when it is hot and warms it up when it is cold.
The train’s technology is safety specific and the entire train will not move when passengers are blocking a doorway. Only when all doors are closed will the train move.
The new trains are designed in the same state-of-the-art passenger safety and comfort standards adopted internationally.
The trains are designed for Universal Access for all passengers to cater for those using wheelchairs.
“Safety priority is the first feature when the train was designed,” said Zenani.
There are also CCTV cameras on-board to enable the driver in the cabin to see what is happening in the train during trips. The driver can also communicate with passengers whenever necessary using intercoms, and passengers may in case of emergency speak to the driver as well.
SAnews caught up with one of the train drivers during the visit to the train display. Petrus van der Westhuizen, who began his career as a train driver in 1975, was excited that he might get a chance to drive a new train before retirement.
He has driven different kinds of trains in his lifetime, from goods trains to the Blue Train and has never been involved in an accident.
Van Der Westhuizen said he is mostly happy with the new safety features coming with the new train.
“I think security on trains is very necessary. Even on the platforms, because people jump on the trains and claim from Metrorail as if it is the rail’s fault. So with the CCTV cameras on the platforms and on-board, it will be easy to see all incidents,” he said.
He said sometimes train drivers experience traumatic incidents as passengers can be a bit reckless and they even threaten drivers during the trips.
Opportunities for South Africans
What is also exciting about the new trains is that not only will passengers be treated to improved rail services, skills will be developed and jobs created for years to come.
This is because the remaining 580 car trains will be manufactured in South Africa, as the construction of the train manufacturing factory is already underway in Ekurhuleni.
“This will allow South Africa to manufacture, test and maintain its own trains. The components will be readily available within the factory, similar to those in the car manufacturing industry,” said Zenani.
This, Zenani said, is aligned with the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP) and also speaks to the National Development Plan (NDP).
She said in the next 10 to 15 years, about 33 000 direct and indirect jobs are expected to be created through this project. - SAnews.gov.za
