Business express train packed to capacity

[Gabor Kovacs]

Somewhat of an interesting read from the IOL News Website.

Business express train packed to capacity.
August 27 2008 at 10:18AM
By Lesego Masemola

Metrorail's business express is facing capacity challenges as more and more motorists choose to take the train to avoid congestion on the Ben Schoeman highway.

Metrorail now plans to introduce a second business express before the end of the year.

Metrorail spokesperson Sibusiso Ngomane said the 530-seat train was currently running at full capacity.

"The uptake of the service has been phenomenal and beyond our expectations, hence the decision to launch the second business express some time in October this year.

We have faced some challenges as we did not expect this tremendous turnout from commuters," he said.

It's been four months since the launch of the train in Pretoria and already commuters have expressed concern over delays, parking and ticket sales.

Regular commuter Joe Mamonyane, who lives in Pretoria West, said: "The train is no doubt benefiting commuters, but parking is problem. People park anywhere at Pretoria station and if you have an emergency it's highly unlikely that you will get out because you will be parked in.

"There is not enough space for everyone. I guess Metrorail did not expect such a huge turnout from commuters," he said.

Another commuter, said earlier this month that she could not get a monthly ticket because the train was booked solid and no monthly tickets were available.

"The receptionist said I could put my name on a waiting list for when someone cancelled their ticket.

"They would then call me and give me the spot. I was 20th on this waiting list.

"When I asked if I could buy a monthly ticket for September, she told me I could only do that from August 25," she said.

Commuters also complained about the train being late and the failure of Metrorail to communicate reasons for the delays.

"As a precaution, we have stationed a diesel locomotive to haul the train at high risk sections of the network to minimise commuter inconvenience," said Ngomane, reacting to complaints about delays.

He acknowledged the shortage of parking spaces at certain stations.

He said plans were afoot to extend the Centurion parking facility and negotiations were under way to lease private parking space in the Tswhane city for Pretoria station business express users.

Ngomane could not confirm if there were problems in the availability of monthly or weekly tickets.

[John Ashworth]

Great to see another success story on South African railways.

[Craig Duckham]

Would be nice if somebody took some pictures of the set.

Also somebody get out to the section where they are testing the new class 19E loco from UCW.

Any takers?

[Kevin Wilson-Smith]

Tell me where they are testing the loco and I will go!
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The set looks the same color as the Soweto Business Express (see here http://www.friendsoftherail.com/phpBB2/ ... =144&t=882 ) - an overall grey with stripes (although I am not certain if these are the same colour as the Soweto units). I usually see it from the freeway in the morning in the way to work.

The Soweto Business Express is also very popular - they started with a set of eight and split to 2 sets of 4. I have now seen sets of 5.

The area which has been done up where I photographed the coaches ...

http://www.friendsoftherail.com/phpBB2/ ... 145&t=2262

......is a coach refurb place - they have now have 3 metro coaches there and one has come out of the paint shop now in an overall grey - maybe a coach being prepared for further business set units as it is still on site.

[Gabor Kovacs]

Seems to me this might become an interesting topic to follow!

I just wish that Metro Rail (SARCC) would do more accurate market research, and they would probably find that there is a serious need for more express services all over the WITS Metro area, base on similar guide-lines as the JHB to PTA & Soweto Express services.

I for one would consider a using a similar service if there was a serv ice introduced between the West Rand and East Rand, calling on only major stations such as Krugersdorp, Roodepoort, Maraisburg, JHB, Gorge Gogh, Cleveland, Germiston, Boksburg, Benoni and Springs.
The Germiston and Vereeninging route could also benefit from an express service as well!

And just to make life a little interesting, all these express services must be timed so that a passenger/s can change between routes, without having to wait too long (no more than 8 minutes), or miss the connecting train for the passengers required route!

[Craig Duckham]

Kevin

The new class 19E is testing on Pienaars River and Keespoort (south of Nylstroom) area. This week it will be there. As the loco has not officially been handed over by UCW to TFR. You might have to be stealth about the pictures. This is the first brand new loco's for Transnet since the early 90's (class 14E and class 38's), so very much worth getting out there and getting these historic pictures.

The loco is in the TFR livery.

[Craig Duckham]

Kevin, I forgot to add that the area is called Warm Baths - Pienaars
River and Keespoort (south of Nylstroom).

The Soweto express uses the old 5M2A stock that got an interior upgrade for the service. The Pretoria express uses the new builds of the 10M5, a far better train than the Soweto set. They are busy building a 2nd 10M5 set for the Pretoria express to allow a 2nd train to be introduced. But the set is only scheduled to be ready by October.

Anybody know where the Pretoria express is staged when not in use? As it will be in a secure area with gaurds as there is plenty of things to steal. Like coffee machines, fridges etc.

[Dylan Knott]

And I believe a new express service will start up between Strand and CT in September. Route is Strand, Van der Stel, Somerset West, Bellville and Cape Town. Along same lines as the Kyalitsha (spelling?) express.

[Steve Appleton]

The Tshwane Business Express set was staged at Pretoria station in one of the dead-end platform roads on Sunday afternoon: platform 1 or 2, I assume. Many of FOTR's Tshwane Xplorer pax went over to take a closer look at it whilst we were stationary for quite some time on Pretoria platform 4 on Sunday afternoon, having been dead-ended there by a total occupation on the section from there through to Koedoespoort.
Interestingly, as part of a non-effort to save on electricity, the panto's were left up and it seemed like all the aircon had been left on, together with the brake pumps, etc, etc.
Must say that the set looked very sharp and some pax asked several thought provoking questions. Why do we need an expensive Gautrain when this one is able to do the job apparently well enough? Why did the SARCC not do this years ago? Why was the Gautrain route not being built to take local trains such as this, and which could then go on to cover the entire existing commuter network?
Why indeed?
In my mind, Gautrain's non-standard, European-standard gauge can only be justified if the investment is planned to be part of a much larger very-high-speed, long-distance rail network. Which, so far as I am aware, it is not. Certainly, to run at the relatively low speeds (by European standards) that are economically achievable on its present routes, Gautrain does not need the wider gauge.