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Keynote address at the launch of Transport Month Campaign

It is a delight to be able to join this auspicious occasion, which brings together so many of the leading lights in the transport industry.

Programme Director, I am sure you will agree with me that the October Transport Month Campaign has gone from strength to strength since the inaugural launch in 2005. As we embark on our third attempt at it, the real test will be whether it delivers the desired message and prompts all South Africans to play their part. Over the years ordinary South Africans have been stalwarts in their support for this campaign and the campaign has proved to be an excellent example of accountability on service delivery.

Quite frankly October Transport Month has brought unprecedented levels of success in showcasing our achievements. And out of all that, it has brought delivery. The MECs will agree with me that one of the pleasures of our work as Ministers of Transport has been to witness the delivery of key government transport projects.

Programme Director, as you are well aware, the single biggest event for South Africa in recent years will be the hosting of the 2010 Soccer World Cup. The Cup is one of the greatest sporting events ever to come to South Africa and everyone involved in organising the event is determined to make it the best cup ever.

For our part, we have made significant levels of preparations. This has involved one of the most intensive and sustained transport plan ever undertaken and the event itself will be an exciting and spectacular culmination to the plan. We are pulling out all the stops to ensure that this unique opportunity is taken advantage of to the fullest extent.

Our Transport Action Plan was approved by Cabinet in 2006. The Public Transport Infrastructure and Systems Fund (PTIS) was established in 2005 to allocate funds for the improvement of public transport infrastructure and systems with an initial focus on projects that will support the successful hosting of the 2010 Cup. The Public Transport Infrastructure has been allocated an amount of R9,2 billion for the 2010 event. Programme Director; let me sum up briefly some of our key projects for 2010 under the flagship of the Public Transport Infrastructure development. Some of the projects under construction include:

• the Khulani Corridor in the Eastern Cape at a cost of R321 million
• the N1 and N2 Toll Highway costing R5 billion with 3200 jobs created
• Rea Vaya BRT system in Johannesburg at a cost of R1,3 billion
• the Public Transport Interchange in Ethekwini at a cost of R309 million
• the Sani Pass Road upgrade bordering South Africa and Lesotho costing R200 million
• expanded Public Works Programme projects countrywide costing R3 billion
• the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Scheme at a cost of R23 billion
• the Bus Rapid Transit networks in Tshwane at a cost of R107 million
• the Gautrain Rapid Rail at a cost of no less than R20 billion.

Just as an addition, we are targeting the recapitalisation of 80% of the current taxi fleet by 2010, having officially scrapped 10 218 old unroadworthy taxi vehicles already as part of the Taxi Recapitalisation Programme. For this we have paid taxi operators a total of R538 million in scrapping allowances. Government has set aside R7,7 Billion for this project.

The monitoring and evaluation of these projects in the Host Cities is currently ongoing, with a panel of project managers having been appointed. This team will assist my department to report on the progress, financial performance, as well as monitor under-spending and maladministration. We have also finalised the development of the Initial National Operational Plan as well as the operational framework that will guide the development of Host City Transport Operational Plans. This framework and these guidelines will enable the Host Cities to start with Operational Planning for the event.

Co-operation with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) was also strengthened with the release of an official from the Department of Transport to the LOC to work specifically on transport related preparations. That office has already begun the development of an LOC Transport Strategy and a Preliminary Draw Operational Plan.

Ladies and gentlemen, public transport services are also key to a successful hosting of the World Cup. I am pleased to report that, in February this year, Cabinet approved the Public Transport Strategy with key projects aimed at achieving the goal of mass transit public transport networks. An essential feature of our Public Transport Strategy 2007 to 2020 deals with the phased extension of the mode-based vehicle recapitalisation into Integrated Rapid Public Transport Networks. These networks comprise an integrated package of Rapid Rail and Bus Rapid Transit priority corridors, especially in major cities.

More specifically, I am confident that passenger rail will rise to the challenge of our public transport strategy particular for the 2010 event. The consolidation of Metro-rail within the South African Rail Commuter Corporation (SARCC) in May last year has laid the foundations for a quantum improvement in rail services leading to World Cup. Through the consolidation process, we are on course in creating a national passenger rail company that will serve as a powerful instrument in transforming and integrating public transport.

Passenger Rail remains a national competency, however, the SARCC is working very closely with metros and other municipalities to ensure that rail services are delivered in a manner that supports integrated transport plans (ITPs) developed by local government. The introduction by Metro-rail of the express services within the current rail environment will also go a long way towards creating a culture of public transport among all South Africans. Metro-rail has introduced this service in Soweto, but I am aware that similar services will be introduced between Johannesburg and Tshwane, in Cape Town as well as eThekwini Region. We will use the express service to transport visitors to the games to be held at the First National Bank (FNB) Stadium as well as Loftus in Tshwane.

We expect that the express service will also be deployed effectively as part of our transport operation plans for both the Confederations Cup in 2009 and ultimately the games in 2010. The Federation International Football Association (Fifa) family, international visitors and our own people stand to benefit from improved mobility and better public transport.

As you are aware, the SARCC will construct a station next to the FNB Stadium as part of the World Cup preparations. The Corporation also intends to build a station next to the new Orlando Stadium in Soweto. In addition, the SARCC will also invest resources to upgrade and improve stations such as Langlaagte, New Canada and Naledi as well as the Doorfontein-Ellispark Stations in Johannesburg.

The SARCC is also involved in addressing the challenges to integrate commuter rail with the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link service through the building of a new station at Rhodesfield. Most of these interventions are already underway and should contribute to the improvement of rail services leading to 2010. The construction of the Gautrain is also well on track and we are confident that parts of the Gautrain essential for the World Cup will be completed before 2010.

I am encouraged that the SARCC is taking concrete steps to also take forward the Rail Plan approved by Cabinet in December 2006. This plan has given us the opportunity to secure the future for passenger rail within the public transport system. There is a strong demand for public transport, and more specifically, rail services around the breadth and length of our country. Through its Metrorail and later Shosholoza Meyl services, the SARCC should be able to deliver an affordable, safe and reliable passenger rail service.

I am aware that the Rail Plan, developed through consultation between national, provincial and local government and the SARCC, proposes in excess of 40 new railway extensions. Further work is underway between the SARCC and the Department of Transport that will ensure that additional rail corridors are identified in the rural areas of South Africa, which will ensure that mobility for the rural masses is further enhanced and they are able to participate in the economic and social development of our country.

We hope that with the transfer of Shosholoza Meyl to SARCC next April, the SARCC will be able to deliver long distance as well as regional services. Shosholoza Meyl also has a critical role in unleashing the development potential of our rural people and its services should not only be about long-distance, but rather regional services within provinces.

I must say that we also expect Shosholoza Meyl to play a leading role in the provision of transport for spectators wishing to attend games between Johannesburg to Durban as well as between Johannesburg and Bloemfontein during the World Cup.

These initiatives by the SARCC confirm the fundamental point that there is a clear plan for passenger rail to meet passenger demands. Government is putting huge resources to ensure that rail assumes its rightful position as the backbone of the public transport in this country.

Let me reemphasise that our plan is to ensure that by 2010, there is a train available every five minutes in the peak. We will need to ensure that train services are available for at least 14 to 16 hours a day. We have committed almost R10 billion to upgrade both rolling stock and infrastructure over the next three years. This will also be coupled by investment in operations worth more than R6 billion rising to R16 Billion.

As we have heard this morning, part of the major preparations for 2010 and beyond are the ground breaking developments of our airports. These developments are designed to ensure that airports can provide a safe and welcoming entry and exit point for the millions of people who use our airports in South.Africa the smaller airports are particularly becoming important players in spreading the benefits of economic and tourism growth. Three weeks ago I had the pleasure of officially opening the new terminal at the George Airport, but even more recently I was delighted with the sod-turning, marking the building of a brand new Airport at La Mercy.

Today's official opening of the R535 million international pier is part of the extension of the international terminal building here at OR Tambo International and represents yet another milestone in the planned infrastructural developments ahead of the 2010 World Cup. The official opening also reaffirms our commitment and that of Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) to develop airport infrastructure in line with passenger growth through its R19,3 billion infrastructure development programmes. The new international pier is therefore one of many major developments scheduled for completion within the next two and a half years here at OR Tambo International.

Operations at the Pier are already running smoothly, enabling improved service offering to the 7,9 million international passengers passing through OR Tambo International this last year. The increased number of boarding gates, holding lounges and airside commercial areas that this double level structure encompasses, has started easing international travellers into their journeys, and this together with the new expansion to the existing international terminal building will further enlarge the international departures check-in areas.

The second and final phase of the pier project is scheduled for July next year when the retail mall extension and new mezzanine lounges will be completed. I am pleased to announce that this project was built using a multitude of local consultants and contractors and has contributed in excess of 34% towards Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) overall and more impressively nearly 49% on the professional design team. With one of our largest infrastructural developments at OR Tambo International now in operation, we are confident that the airport precinct will be a construction-free zone by the beginning of 2010. We want to improve the capacity and service standards at our airports as we are now only 984 days away from the prestigious Soccer World Cup. The launch today is a reminder that the socio-economic benefits that will flow from the successful hosting of the World Cup are unimaginable. We must therefore continue to keep our focus on the work at hand.

We must build upon our successes and this requires single-minded determination to achieve. And as we launch the transport month campaign, let us collectively accelerate the implementation of all our initiatives. I believe the result will benefit al South Africans. This is our shared objective. And by working closely together, it can be our shared achievement.

I thank you!

Issued by: Department of Transport
30 September 2007
Source: SAPA