Getting the IRT on the road
 Above: Mike Marsden, head of the City of Cape Town's Integrated Rapid Transit (IRT) project, talks about the year ahead. |
The City of Cape Town is set to run an IRT service for the duration
of the World Cup and then ‘as quickly as possible’ after the June
and July event to launch the system that aims to change the way
Capetonians think about and use public transport.
‘The immediate focus is to get the existing obligations for 2010 in place, in which we use the IRT buses to render an “event service”, and simultaneously to progress the Phase 1 infrastructure up the West Coast. We need to get that IRT service going as quickly as possible after 2010,’ says Marsden. ‘Our focus is to show action and implementation on the ground and start the service. That’s the focus as far as delivery goes.’ A seasoned manager, fresh from the task of getting the Cape Town Stadium on the ground, he welcomes this new challenge. ‘The exciting part is to build public confidence, to explain the public benefit and to get the project up and running in a well-managed way that sees real delivery and real public benefit arising out of it.’ The airport-CBD and inner-city service
The transport service for the soccer spectacular will include the airport- CDB shuttle and a service around the inner city. The shuttle service will continue after the World Cup. The buses have been ordered from Volvo and are being built in Brazil and Germiston to very tight deadlines, with the first ones arriving in February for driver training. Marsden says negotiations are underway with existing operators to run this “event service”. The fares for these first routes will be R50 from the airport to the CBD, and the inner city “circulatory system” will be R8, with no charge for the match-day shuttles from the CBD to the Cape Town Stadium. There will be basic bus stops in place for the circulatory service during the World Cup and the system will be run using paper tickets. After the World Cup this will be replaced with a smart card system. |
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The West Coast Service
Once the World Cup is over, resources will be focused on the R27 on the West Coast. ‘We want to have at least a starter service up the West Coast as soon as possible,’ says Marsden. ‘We are moving very fast, and I’m sure we’re going to make quite a few mistakes as well, but we have to deliver.’ Already most of the dedicated red lanes and the 13 stations are visible icons of the new system that is rapidly taking shape in this area. Right: A sneak preview of the 18m articulated bus, moving to the next phase of build. |
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Ensuring affordability
Mike Marsden says the City is expecting a substantial additional financial allocation from national government in support of the IRT. Work is underway to programme considerable spending of around R1.6 billion in one year. The entire Phase 1A up the West Coast and in the CBD will cost about R4.3 billion to implement, with operating costs of R118 million, but Marsden is convinced that this will be money well spent.
‘Cape Town needs an improvement to its public transport service, especially if we start positioning ourselves as an event capital, and after the World Cup that’s the logical conclusion. The real beneficiary is the ordinary working person. And then there’s the opportunity for recreational use. If we are to make the step up to being a leading world city, one has to invest in public transport, and IRT does offer very good value compared to other forms of public transport.
‘The question really is, if we don’t implement the improvements to public transport, are we prepared to accept the consequences of being a relatively mediocre city? So I’m afraid that expensive as it is, one has to make these investments. We can make it work. We’ve got a very good team, with professional service providers, contractors and staff. There’s every reason to be optimistic. It’s just a matter of getting it done in proper project management methodology, just doing it in a way that’s prudent and within the affordability limits of council. We’ll implement as we get the money from national government, making sure we have as rapid a rollout as possible without sinking the City financially.’
How long will this take? ‘Phase 1A up the West Coast will conclude in 2013 or 2014,’ says Marsden. ‘Then, depending on the allocations from national government, we’ll be able to programme other routes. Maybe before 2015 if we get additional funding.’
‘If we don’t implement the improvements to public transport, are we prepared to accept the consequences of being a relatively mediocre city?'
Mike Marsden says the City is expecting a substantial additional financial allocation from national government in support of the IRT. Work is underway to programme considerable spending of around R1.6 billion in one year. The entire Phase 1A up the West Coast and in the CBD will cost about R4.3 billion to implement, with operating costs of R118 million, but Marsden is convinced that this will be money well spent.
‘Cape Town needs an improvement to its public transport service, especially if we start positioning ourselves as an event capital, and after the World Cup that’s the logical conclusion. The real beneficiary is the ordinary working person. And then there’s the opportunity for recreational use. If we are to make the step up to being a leading world city, one has to invest in public transport, and IRT does offer very good value compared to other forms of public transport.
‘The question really is, if we don’t implement the improvements to public transport, are we prepared to accept the consequences of being a relatively mediocre city? So I’m afraid that expensive as it is, one has to make these investments. We can make it work. We’ve got a very good team, with professional service providers, contractors and staff. There’s every reason to be optimistic. It’s just a matter of getting it done in proper project management methodology, just doing it in a way that’s prudent and within the affordability limits of council. We’ll implement as we get the money from national government, making sure we have as rapid a rollout as possible without sinking the City financially.’
How long will this take? ‘Phase 1A up the West Coast will conclude in 2013 or 2014,’ says Marsden. ‘Then, depending on the allocations from national government, we’ll be able to programme other routes. Maybe before 2015 if we get additional funding.’
