They say seeing is believing, so when Metrorail Cape Town, in cooperation with the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, invited tour operators and guides to come and experience the safety and convenience of travelling by train along the Southern line for themselves, they arrived in large numbers.
Until recently, a mixture of the old yellow and grey trains and the new Electrical Multiple Unit (EMU) new trains – distinguishable by their blue markings –ran on the line which stretches from Cape Town to Fish Hoek.
From a few weeks back, the line is now being serviced by EMUs entirely, with the first train leaving from Cape Town at 05:00 and the last train returning from Fish Hoek at 18:50 on weekdays.
On Saturdays, the outbound timetable starts at 06:00 in Cape Town and the inbound timetable ends at 12.40 from Fish Hoek.
And, according to Metrorail, these trains are both safe and on time – mostly.
They also run during load shedding.
This at R9 a ticket, one way.
Testing the train operator at its word, a group of about 100 boarded an EMU – also known as the #ThePeoplesTrain or #BlueTrain – at Cape Town station on Tuesday 21 February.
The date also happened to fall on International Tourist Guide Day.
Keith Edwards, Rail Tourism Operational Manager at Metrorail, says last week’s event was an opportunity for Metrorail and the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, to acknowledge and recognise tour guides and the role they play in boosting the region’s economy.
Edwards says the purpose of the event was also to showcase the EMUs and to get the guides’ buy-in.
“We are inviting our guides to book the trains so that they can take groups on the train. The blue train allows us to bring our tourists on board to travel, to feel safe, but also to showcase that we are able to offer world-class travelling,” he says.
The air-conditioned EMUs come with a host of safety features. These include security cameras mounted inside the train and windows that can’t be opened and won’t allow stones that are thrown to penetrate.
The doors of these trains also only open once the train is completely stationary. There are also no separate carriages, so when you stand at one end of the train, you can see all the way through to the other.
Sifiso Mokwena, market and communications: social media: Metrorail Prasa, says they also have a deployment of security on the train as well as customer service.
“We are checking for train tickets; no one is allowed to travel without a train ticket. Minimising people without a train ticket travelling on the train will help control criminal activities on the train,” he says.
As to ensuring the train is on time, he says they are trying to discourage commuters from eating on the trains so that time is not lost having to clean the carriages between trips.
“And we communicate with our commuters every day on our various social platforms. So, before you get to the train, we already tell you if your line is going to operate on time, and if there are delays. Two of our biggest platforms are Twitter (@MetrorailWC) and Facebook.”
Ultimately, though, the proof is in the pudding.
Tour operator Derek Serra of Nomad Tours based in Bothasig says if people are based in Cape Town, the trip is a nice little day excursion.
“It is obviously inexpensive. And they are trying to make it safe now. This line was notorious a few years ago for people being thrown off the train and all that kind of thing. So, I think they are trying to make an effort now to stabilise the situation.”
However, he is not sure if people will return to using the trains along the Southern line.
“I don’t know how successful it is going to be because there has been this breakdown in trust between Prasa and commuters and, of course, all of these PR things are always laid on very nicely but will that be your experience on the day when you come with your family?”
For James Sampson, who is on the Exco of the Cape Tourist Guide Association, the service being offered is very close to perfect. He says there are still little things that need to get ironed out, for example, wheelchair access. The EMUs floor stands much higher than those of the yellow and grey trains, making the gap between your average platform and train considerably.
“There is no ramp for the wheelchair, there has to be a system. A lot of people who are in wheelchairs like to be independent. They want to wheel themselves onto the train. There is also no way to secure the wheelchair when the train is moving. You shouldn’t have to only rely on the wheelchair’s breaks.”
Bridget Wilcox of Tusk Adventures and Tours based in Wynberg says, not having travelled by train in years, the event was a perfect opportunity to reintroduce her and other tour guides to what Prasa has to offer.
“And it has been an amazing eye-opener. I took the train in from Plumstead this morning to town just to see if the security guards were going to be on the train that we weren’t on as tour guides and it was exactly the same. So I am quite impressed.”
She describes her train trip as on par with the train travel that she has done in Europe.
“It is comfortable; the security is amazing. From where I sat this morning, I could see three security guards within my line of sight alone. That is why I would actually now start using the train but only the blue train.”
For her, there are only two niggles, the fact that the trains are not running throughout the day and that you have to pay cash when you buy a ticket.
“If you travel anywhere in the world, the trains run 24/7. We should be running these trains every half-an-hour, over weekends and public holidays, on Sundays – we should be able to get on the train and use it because it is a great train.”
She also suggests that Prasa perhaps looks at getting vending machines that dispense tickets.
“It just eliminates the risk of theft or robbery at the stations, but also, banking fees are high, why are we taking cash when people can just tap their cards.”
Anita Hermanus of Auntie Nita’s Tours based in Grassy Park says she too was pleasantly surprised at how clean the train was and how safe she felt.
“As a guide, it is about being able to share all of Cape Town, and this is part of Cape Town. Tourists see the trains and they come from places where the trains provide a service.
“For me, it’s about the potential, of being able to take guests possibly along this route, because this route is spectacular.”
She says she will definitely catch the train to Kalk Bay again.
“I am so bringing my kids. As a family day out for locals, this is perfect, and it is so cost-effective. Where can you drive to Kalk Bay for R9? Nowhere.”
