South Africa’s transport network, still plodding on routes designed by the apartheid regime to keep people apart, is receiving an unprecedented makeover to bring the nation together for the World Cup.
The new network of modern buses, trains and renovated airports will be put to the test during the Confederations Cup, just six months away.
”The development of our transport infrastructure will undoubtedly be one of the shining legacies of the World Cup,” said Transport Minister Jeff Radebe.
The government has ploughed R160-billion into a slate of projects for 2010 — with the Gautrain a flagship development.
All host cities for the Confederations Cup, seen as a World Cup dress rehearsal, are rolling out new transport network facilities to ease congestion and allow easy movement of visitors during the games.
Public transport is the backbone of the country’s commuter services, carrying about 13-million people a day, often in private minibuses, but the system is blighted by poor regulation and safety and low efficiency standards.
The upgrades are the government’s first major attempt to eradicate the legacy of the apartheid government.
Fifa has demanded assurances from government to prioritise safety and access to public transport for visitors during the two tournaments.
”South Africa has never seen this type of development before,” Radebe said. ”The Gautrain is going to be our first speed train, first on the continent.”
Construction of the swish underground train is under way between a Johannesburg central station and Pretoria, but will not be complete in time for the Confederations Cup.
The Gautrain is expected to link Johannesburg’s international airport with Sandton, the country’s business hub, in time for the World Cup. The Pretoria link is scheduled for completion in 2011.
The train is the cornerstone of a planned network that will link commuters with buses, taxis and other transport.
Johannesburg is working on a new commuter bus system, creating special bus lanes in the middle of motorways to save commuters time by not getting stuck in traffic.
The entire network will use a prepaid system for fares, allowing passengers to use a single card for multiple trips on any transport.
”Smart-card holders will be able to get on metro buses, taxis and metro trains using the same card,” said Sibongile Mazibuko, who coordinates Johannesburg’s 2010 projects.
The system will also be used in other host cities like Pretoria and Port Elizabeth, allowing visitors to travel the country with one card.
The Transport Department plans by 2020 to serve 85% of residents within a kilometre of the network’s routes. Inter-city trains are also being upgraded to erase their apartheid legacy. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, regional trains became battlefields for political violence, with warring parties shooting and killing rival supporters inside moving trains.
Three major airports are being expanded to cope with the projected growth in traffic volumes and improve services.
The new King Shaka International Airport is set to open in May 2010 north of Durban. Airports in Cape Town and Johannesburg are already undergoing changes.
”We want to make the game accessible to all and leave behind something that we are all going to be proud of … a lasting legacy,” Mazibuko said. — Sapa-AFP