Transport Minister Elizabeth Dipuo Peters has called for an overhaul of South Africa’s commuter rail system. This comes after an independent inquiry found that a lack of maintenance, human factors and ineffective communication caused the April 2015 passenger trains’ rear-end collision in which 240 people were injured.
“The findings of the investigation are systematic and include the following: lack of maintenance, ineffective communication, human factors and ineffective allocation of capital funding,” Elizabeth Dipuo Peters said.
The rail commuter service needs “a complete overhaul” to ensure a safe and efficient passenger experience. “Prasa has initiated a programme to transform and modernise passenger railways in South Africa. In this instance, Prasa will be investing approximately R172 billion (9.7 billion euros) over 10 years, which have already commenced in the 2013/14 financial year,” the minister added.
The project includes the acquisition of 3,600 new coaches.
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