WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2008-05-11 Time: 00:00:00 Posted By: Jan
[Only blacks still use the railways. I used to use rail in the early days when I was in this country and had no car. Back then, you could actually still ride on a train that was relatively clean and safe. ZERO chance of that now. I know of no whites who use the trains at all, ever. Jan]
Metrorail’s five-year moratorium on fare increases seems to be over and fares are likely to go up soon.
And bus fares are probably going up too. Golden Arrow has applied to the Department of Transport for an 8,5 percent increase.
In 2003, Metrorail undertook not to increase the price of tickets for five years because an increase would be inappropriate until service levels had improved sufficiently to warrant it. But now the company feels it has injected considerable cash into improving its services.
It is reluctant to detail what the fare increases will be. Currently the cheapest monthly ticket from Khayelitsha to Bellville is R90, and a one-way ticket from Bishop Lavis to Cape Town is R4.20.
Part of the rail corporation’s ambitious R18-billion strategy aimed at stabilising the company by 2010 included improving punctuality and reliability, customer service and safety.
But this week yet another commuter lost his life. Abdul Karan died after being thrown from a train at Woodstock by two men trying to rob him of his cellphone on the Simon’s Town line.
Metrorail believes its strategy is on track, and, what with increasing electricity tariffs, a fare increase is inevitable.
Riana Scott, Western Cape Metrorail spokesperson, said: “Significant Eskom tariff increases will affect our budget. Eskom provided an anticipated percentage increase which was included in Metrorail’s approved budget, so any additional increases will have to be re-submitted to the South African Rail Commuter Corporation.”
Anna-Marie Lubbe, national Metrorail spokesperson, said: “In the light of economic conditions and improvements in service, a fare increase can’t be ruled out.”
The corporation has spent more than R3,2-billion in the past two years. Around 80 percent has been for refurbishment of rolling stock.
“In total we have done 799 coaches over this period. Other projects dealt with station improvements, signalling, footbridges, railway lines, electrical overhead improvements, and telecommunications.”
Services had improved in the areas of punctuality, cancellations, security and safety. Punctuality had improved from 4 percent of trains on time to an average of 86,4 percent for the full financial year. Only 1,83 percent of scheduled trains were cancelled on average.
Passenger trips increased by 6,2 percent in 2007 and Metro Plus passenger trips increased by 17,22 percent – most of which was in the Western Cape, indicating commuter confidence.
Crime had decreased by 37 percent for the year, mostly thanks to the introduction of railway police. A total of 1 824 police officers had been deployed. “The emphasis is on restorative rather than punitive justice, and offenders serve their community sentences under the auspices of Nicro.”
Nearly 500 coaches had been refurbished and put back into service, and premier services such as the Khayelitsha Express and Soweto Express had been introduced. A replacement for the restaurant carriage on the Simon’s Town line was already being assembled. The premium business service for the northern line commuters in Cape Town was at an advanced stage.
The feasibility study for the Cape Town International Airport link had been completed.
Cosatu provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich said it would oppose increases as people were already hard-hit by the increasing cost of food and other goods.