Koert Meyer
CAPE TOWN - One is left speechless by the senseless destruction of our rail infrastructure. It is clear that most of it happened and continues to happen to those lines serving the poor.
Most of the pylons holding up the cables supplying electric power to motor coaches and locomotives have been stolen or simply taken down to be sold to unscrupulous scrap dealers. Station buildings have been vandalised to such an extent that it will not only cost massive amounts to repair, but also the time it will take to restore them.
Train lovers have been warning for some time that firstly vandalism then the destruction of these buildings along main lines will eventually come to our cities. And did it happen on a massive scale when lockdowns started in March 2020.
It is hitting the poor enormously hard because worldwide travelling by train is much cheaper than by bus, taxi or private vehicle. One reads in papers folks’ anxiety that tourist lines and those serving the affluent like the southern line should be restored and protected. These trains are still running with little damage done.
Growing up one always wondered why unsightly pylons are necessary to hold up power lines. If one should be able to count them just on our country's major main lines between our cities it must be hundreds of thousands. Our country is blessed with large deposits of iron ore and steel. The maintenance, especially painting them regularly, if at all possible, since galvanising them was never an option, amounts to huge running costs.
The answer is so simple: a third power rail running alongside one of the two rails to supply power to the pulling coaches on either side of commuter trains. Many countries, even Third World countries, have switched to third rails at huge cost-saving.
These countries have found ways to guarantee the safety of pedestrians crossing these lines.
When will those in authority learn to listen when given sound advice to improve things and not wait until everything deteriorates only to lie in ruins eventually? What will it cost to replace infrastructure every time it gets vandalised?
Already diesel locomotives are used to pull commuter trains in Gauteng. This will cost much more and our country is experiencing a shortage of both diesel and electric locomotives even to pull our long iron ore, coal and manganese trains which boost our ailing economy tremendously. Millions are lost when trains stand still.
The demise of our rail, health and policing sectors has been politicised to such an extent that the suffering public has lost faith in political parties that cannot work together.
Existing legislation does not allow for local authorities to run train and security services. It is therefore opportunistic to continuously threaten to take over to improve such services. This can only divide our polarised country even more.
The Western Cape will always be a dangerous playing ball for political parties, never taking into account how much the poor and marginalised continue to suffer. And with divisive groups, including political parties, working tirelessly to secede this province from the rest of the country, this can only augur badly for our entire country.
Why doesn't the DA offer to take control of the non-existent passenger train service to Atlantis and Blue Downs, a very long time in the pipeline? The pathetic twice-a-day service for workers to Malmesbury could also be considered for takeover to show how such services could and should be run efficiently to the benefit of all and not a few.
The huge amounts spent to try to run the country through our courts does not benefit anyone. These monies could instead be used efficiently to improve people's lives.
One shudders to think what if these were air or marine services being destroyed.