 | |
| Company type | State owned enterprise |
|---|---|
| Industry | Passenger rail |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Headquarters | Johannesburg |
Key people | Hishaam Emeran (Group CEO) |
| Products | Transport management services |
Number of employees | 17000 (2020) |
| Parent | Government of South Africa |
| Divisions | Metrorail Shosholoza Meyl Autopax PRASA Cres PRASA Tech |
| Website | www |
The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) is a South African state-owned enterprise responsible for most passenger rail services in the country.
In 1910, as a consequence of the formation of the Union of South Africa, all railway services in South Africa were merged into the South African Railways and Harbours. The reclassification and renumbering of the rolling stock of the three constituent railways was implemented on 1 January 1912. The South African Railways and Harbours was later renamed the South African Transport Services. [1]
On 1 April 1990, Transnet was created to take over most of the operations of the SATS, with the exception of commuter rail which was transferred to the newly formed South African Rail Commuter Corporation (SARCC). The SARCC owned commuter rail-related assets, including stations and surrounding land, infrastructure and rolling stock, while the services were operated by Metrorail. Initially, Metrorail was an operating unit of Spoornet, Transnet's rail subsidiary; in 1996 it became a separate business unit of Transnet. Long-distance passenger rail services, meanwhile, were operated by Spoornet (now Transnet Freight Rail) under the name Shosholoza Meyl.
On 1 December 2004, the South African Cabinet decided to integrate the current state-run passenger rail and bus services under one organisation which at that time was managed by the SARCC and Transnet, so as to improve the accessibility, safety and cost to the consumer. [2] : 7 The government observed that the separation of ownership between SARCC and Transnet caused problems, in particular with disputes over the responsibility for maintenance and investment. In 2006 ownership of Metrorail was transferred to the SARCC, unifying the responsibility for commuter rail. On 23 December 2008 the SARCC was renamed the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, and in subsequent months other assets were transferred to PRASA. PRASA was officially launched in March 2009 and combined the assets of Metrorail, Shosholoza Meyl, Autopax and Intersite Property Management Services under this new organisation. [2] : 7
In April 2011, PRASA announced a huge plan to replace rolling stock, worth R97bn; 6600 new vehicles would be ordered. [3]
It consists of four branches: Metrorail, which operates commuter rail services in urban areas; Shosholoza Meyl, which operates regional and inter-city rail services; Autopax, which operates regional and inter-city coach services; and PRASA Cres, which manages the property owned by PRASA.
Between 2011 and 2021 PRASA experienced a significant fall in its ability to fulfill its mandate to provide rail based public transportation in South Africa's urban areas. [4] Statistics SA found that about 80% of regular PRASA commuters had stopped using the company's network of municipal railway services between 2013 and 2021. [4] High levels of corruption, maladministration and mismanagement, largely associated with the presidency of Jacob Zuma, were blamed for the fall in the state owned enterprise's ability to provide basic rail passenger transport services. [4] These issues were investigated by the Public Protector of South Africa. [5]
PRASA has also been criticised for being very slow to pay its suppliers. [6]
PRASA mismanagement led to the loss of R2.65 billion, through the acquisition of Spanish Afro 4000 trains which were unsuitable for South African rails. The Afro 4000 requires 4.14 meters of clearance, too high for SA rail infrastructure at 3.965 m. [7] Resulting scandal led to the 2015 removal of CEO, Lucky Montana and his chief engineer "Dr." Daniel Mtimkulu. Subsequent investigation revealed that Daniel Mtimkulu had falsified his qualifications. Having claimed to possess an electrical engineering doctorate, he was exposed as merely a technologist without even having completed a 4-year engineering B.S. [8]
During December 2016, acting PRASA CEO Collins Letsoalo told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts that the organisation had incurred R13.9 billion in irregular expenditure while 142 contracts worth R24 billion were being investigated for corruption with some cases referred to the Hawks. [9] [10]
In mid-August 2019, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula launched a war room with a 100 day plan to improve PRASA's railway network and to plot its progress. [11] Director-General Alec Moemi was placed in charge of the unit and daily status meetings were to be held with performance managed and monitored daily. [11] Progress would have to be made by 31 December 2019. [11] Targets included improving arrival times of Metrorail from 50.2% to 85% and increasing the amount of train sets available; improving arrival times of the Shosholoza Meyl from 3% to 50% and the amount of available locomotives, among others. [11]
Early December 2019 saw Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula fire the PRASA board and its chief executive officer and placed the organisation under administration after failing government audits and their inability to stabilise its financial position and market share. [12] [13] He announced the appointment of Bongisizwe Mpondo, managing director and founder of the transport company Safiri as the new administrator. [12]
Administrator Mpondo announced in January 2020 that he had closed down the war room created by the minister five months earlier, and he formed five exco subcommittees called revenue enhancement and cost containment; governance; service recovery; safety management; and capital and modernisation programme acceleration. [14] : 22 He said the organisation would conduct lifestyle audits on 300 managers, especially those employees working in finance and supply-chains. [14] : 22 Vacancies in critical senior management positions would be filled. [14] : 22 Auditor-General findings and his concerns would also be investigated and attended too. [14] : 22
On 16 January 2020, the Railway Safety Regulator made a surprise inspection of PRASA's rolling stock maintenance facility in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. [13] The inspection established that this large repair facility had not purchased brake blocks in six months despite needing 1,500 a month with the fleet of trains having been reduced to 32 from 144 over three years. [13] Also missing were replacement train windows, lubricating oil and wheels. [13] An improvement directive was issued and failure to comply would result in legal action. [13]
In February 2020, Eskom cut power to PRASA's Western Cape rail network after they failed to pay R4 million overdue electricity account but was restored after payment. [15] Also in February 2020, Tembinkosi Bonakele of the Competition Commission made recommendations for the unbundling of certain divisions of PRASA after an investigation into the public transport market in South Africa. [16] These proposed divisions are Autopax, PRASA Cres (its property manager) and Metrorail. [16] All that would remain in PRASA's name would be Shosholoza Meyl and its technical division. [16]
PRASA Cres manages the railway stations across the country and manages and charges access to these stations of Autopax other non-PRASA transport providers. [16] Autopax is accused of not paying for parking spaces while enjoying exclusive locations while other providers were provided less exclusive spots. [16] Both division were recommended to operate as separate state-owned enterprises (SOEs). [16]
The Competition Commission also recommended that Metrorail in the Western Cape and Gauteng be managed and integrated into the provinces transport authorities services while the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provincial authorities were not yet ready to manage their own services. [16]
By 2022 Minister Mbalula announced that PRASA was no longer able to secure its trains and infrastructure as criminal syndicates had managed to infiltrate the company to facilitate wide scale metal theft. [17] Between January 2021 and July 2022, there were an average of 1.7-million rail passenger trips per month, which is just 4% of the monthly average over the ten years between 1999 and 2008. Usage of the rail network does not appear to be recovering in the post-Covid period. [18]
| Term started | Term ended | Surname | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2015 | Montana | Tshepo Lucky |
| 2015 | 2016 | Khena | Nathi |
| 2016 | 2017 | Letsoalo | Collins |
| 2017 | 2018 | Zide | Lindikaya |
| 2018 | 2019 | Sithole | Sibusiso |
| 2019 | 2019 | Sishi | Nkosinathi |
| 2019 | 2020 | Mpondo | Bongisizwe |
| 2020 | 2021 | Mabija | Thandeka |
| 2021 | 2021 | Matthews | Zolani Kgosie |
| 2021 | 2022 | Mphelo | David |
| 2022 | Current | Hishaam | Emeran |
The Blue Train travels an approximately 1,600-kilometre (990 mi) journey in South Africa between Pretoria and Cape Town. It is one of the most luxurious train journeys in the world. It boasts butler service, two lounge cars, an observation car, and carriages with gold-tinted picture windows, in soundproofed, fully carpeted compartments, each featuring its own en-suite. The service is promoted as a "magnificent moving five-star hotel" by its operators, who note that kings and presidents have travelled on it.
Rail transport in South Africa is an important element of the country's transport infrastructure. All major cities are connected by rail, and South Africa's railway system is the most highly developed in Africa. The South African rail industry is publicly owned.
Metrorail is an operator of commuter rail services in the major urban areas of South Africa. It is a division of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA), a state-owned enterprise which is responsible for most passenger rail services in South Africa. The Metrorail system consists of 471 stations, 2,228 kilometres (1,384 mi) of track, and carries an average of 1.7 million passengers per weekday.
Shosholoza Meyl is a division of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) that operates long-distance (intercity) passenger rail services. It operates various train routes across South Africa, carrying approximately 4 million passengers annually. Before 2009, Shosholoza Meyl was a division of Spoornet, but it was transferred after the formation of PRASA.
Transnet Freight Rail is a South African rail transport company, formerly known as Spoornet. It was part of the South African Railways and Harbours Administration, a state-controlled organisation that employed hundreds of thousands of people for decades from the first half of the 20th century and was widely referred to by the initials SAR&H. Customer complaints about serious problems with Transnet Freight Rail's service were reported in 2010. Its head office is in Inyanda House in Parktown, Johannesburg.
Cape Town railway station is the main railway station of the city of Cape Town, South Africa. It is located along Adderley and Strand Streets in the city's central business district.
Bellville mainline railway station is a railway station in the town of Bellville, Western Cape, South Africa. It is the second-biggest station in the Metrorail Western Cape railway network, after the Cape Town terminus. All trains on Metrorail's Northern Line pass through Bellville, and one branch of the Central Line also terminates there. It is also a stop for Shosholoza Meyl trains that terminate in Cape Town.
Port Elizabeth railway station is a railway station, located in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Durban railway station is the central railway station in the city of Durban, South Africa, located between Umgeni Road and Masabalala Yengwa Avenue just to the north of the central business district. It is the terminus of Shosholoza Meyl long-distance services from Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the hub of a network of Metrorail commuter rail services that stretch as far as KwaDukuza (Stanger) to the north, Kelso to the south, and Cato Ridge inland.
Pretoria railway station is the central station in Pretoria, the executive capital of South Africa. It is located between Pretoria's central business district and Salvokop, in a 1910 building designed by Herbert Baker. It is the terminus of various Metrorail commuter rail services in the northern part of Gauteng, and a stop on Shosholoza Meyl inter-city services from Johannesburg to Polokwane and Nelspruit. Pretoria is also the northern terminus of the luxury Blue Train service from Cape Town. Platforms and tracks for the Gautrain rapid-rail service are adjacent to the main-line station.
The Central Line is a commuter rail service in Cape Town, South Africa, operated by Metrorail Western Cape. Central Line services operate along two routes from central Cape Town to Langa, and then along three branches from Langa to various areas in the south-east of the city. The first branch runs to Mitchell's Plain, the second to Khayelitsha, and the third passes through Belhar to terminate in Bellville.
The South African Railways Class 6E1, Series 5 of 1974 was an electric locomotive.
The South African Railways Class 6E1, Series 6 of 1976 was an electric locomotive.
The South African Railways Class 6E1, Series 8 of 1979 was an electric locomotive.
The South African Railways Class 34-000 of 1971 is a diesel-electric locomotive.
The South African Railways Class 35-200 of 1974 is a diesel-electric locomotive.
The Denver train crash occurred on 28 April 2015 when a passenger train ran into the rear of another at Denver station, Johannesburg, South Africa. One person was killed and about 240 were injured. Damages were R 17.5 million.
The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa Class Afro 4000 of 2014 is a South African diesel-electric locomotive.
Autopax is a holding company of two South African intercity bus services and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa). Its mandate is to provide long distance inter-city and charter services as well bus services crossing borders in Southern Africa via the use of luxury, semi-luxury and intercity coaches.
On 4 January 2018, a passenger train operated by Shosholoza Meyl collided with a truck at a level crossing at Geneva Station between Hennenman and Kroonstad, in the Free State, South Africa. The train derailed, and seven of the twelve carriages caught fire. Twenty-one people were killed and 254 others were injured.
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