EMU - Gauteng - Now what is it?

[Kevin Wilson-Smith]

Any ideas why it is a different colour?

[Steve Appleton]

I tried enlarging the pic, but unfortunately the resolution is too low to read the logos on the front and sides. Maybe your original is sharper and can be read, Kevin. That might give a clue.

[John Ashworth]

Kevin, can you try and get the number next time you see one of these?

[Dylan Knott]

it could be a colour scheme being tested.
or maybe its the new livery for metro.

Are any metro coaches in the old red & grey livery?

[Kevin Wilson-Smith]

Nothing in the old red and grey (so far).

All it says on the front is Sowto. See below.

The number plaque on front says SBE 2.

????????

[Steve Appleton]

Ah Ha! Soweto!
Then, I suspect it is the new luxury business person's Soweto express train that Metrorail introduced recently.

[Kevin Wilson-Smith]

Tell us more - there is nothing on their website I can find.

[Steve Appleton]

Quite some months ago, Metrorail instroduced a limted stop, higher spec train to certain Soweto destinations. The train is reputed to contain plush seats, aircon, computer power points, etc. All aimed at getting the custom of the exec businessman out of his luxury car and onto rail. There is probbaly more than one such train set and my guess is that you picc'ed set no 2.

To quote from the Business Day archive of 3rd July 2007:

TRANSPORT Minister Jeff Radebe will today launch a new express train service that will connect Soweto and Johannesburg in about 45-minutes, the transport department said yesterday.

The 530-seater Soweto Business Express will start from Naledi station each morning, stopping at Ikhwezi and Dube stations, before proceeding to Johannesburg’s Park station. The train will be operated by the state-owned commuter rail provider, Metrorail.

Other train services take more than an hour to travel between Soweto and Johannesburg.

“The train will be faster and more luxurious than the ordinary commuter trains plying the Soweto route. Each coach will be manned by grade C security guards and travellers will enjoy first-class treatment during their journey,” Metrorail said.

The Soweto Business Express, designed to complement the Gautrain in areas not included in the rapid rail link’s planned route, is aimed to satisfy the township’s growing middle-class commuters.

Metrorail said the decision to launch the train was also influenced by research by Metrorail, involving the Living Standard Measure of Soweto residents.

“Metrorail will launch the train service in order to tap into markets that have never been tapped before,” said the commuter rail operator. “Residents were consulted in the whole process and we noted that upcoming professionals living in Soweto were desperate for such a service. There are a large number of cars on the road and people would love an alternative form of transport to take them to their places of work.”

The train will have uniformed attendants — similar to airline cabin attendants — who will serve drinks to passengers. It would be manned by security guards at all times. As an incentive to bring the middle class out of their vehicles to the train, commuters would use separate ticket sale points and boarding entrances. Commuters would also get free newspapers.

Metrorail has denied suggestions it was forced to introduce the new express, after complaints the existing trains were unsafe and always late.

Ticket pricing will be announced today.
With Sapa

[Kevin Wilson-Smith]

Must be it Steve - thanks! SBE = Soweto Business Express!

[Steve Appleton]

BTW, Kevin, nice pic. I like the way the train blends well into the Johannesburg landscape: the precast wall, the derilect signal cabin, the polluted grey sky!!

[John Ashworth]

I remember hearing about the new Soweto express some time ago on the news. Sounds like a good idea. It's too easy to be completely negative about the rail system in this country and to overlook some of the new initiatives that are coming from both Metro and TFR.

[John Ashworth]

From sar-L 11/12/07

Recent postings about the Soweto Business Express refer:

An illustrated feature article on this train appears in the latest issue of Railways Africa, as well as notes on the similar, recently introduced Khayelitsha Express in Cape Town.

[Kevin Wilson-Smith]

Does someone have a copy?

[John Ashworth]

No, but I'm thinking I should subscribe to this periodical. Their website is very disappointing, with only the briefest summaries and headlines.

[Luca Lategan]

The article you talked about from Railways Africa Issue 5 | 2007:
Also look at EMU Cape - More about the Kayalitsha Express.

THE SOWETO EXPRESS
Soweto Commute Now Faster, Smoother

For those who still have the image of Soweto as an apartheid-era location, the news is - things have changed. Freehold ownership and new wealth has transformed this city. Likewise, the drab, overcrowded trains of the 50s and 60s are rapidly becoming a thing of the past.

The latest innovation from Metrorail is Soweto Business Express (SBE). Railways Africa caught the new service at 06:38 from Naledi Station.

Sibusiso Ngomane, Manager: Communications for Metrorail explains that the SBE was a business decision: “After the liberation of our country 13 years ago, the demographic profile of Soweto residents has changed dramatically. There was a need to present them with a different service for the middle and upper end of the commuter market,” he says.

The idea of the SBE has been discussed in Metrorail corridors for some years and an outside consultant was brought in to carry out a feasibility study. Already, the success of the project has led to a similar service being introduced in Cape Town. On 31 October, the 300-seat Khayelitsha Express, offering identical facilities, began operation.

Inside the coaches, the fittings are comfortable but not luxurious. The seats are padded and have disposable head-rest covers. Curtains on the windows and small carpets on the floor give an elegant air. At the far end of the coach there is a coffee machine. As we took our seats, a smartly dressed stewardess offered us coffee and newspapers. There is even provision for internet connections, enabling executives to work on line during the trip. In each coach, a professional- looking security guard keeps watch.

Extensively revamped by Transnet Rail Engineering, the coaches give a pleasantly quiet ride.

THE BEST PART
The best part about the SBE is the price of a return ticket — R12.00 from Naledi to Park station. This includes all amenities on the train as well as secure parking at the station of choice. A monthly ticket costs R310.0O - “a very competitive and affordable charge, all factors considered”, Ngomane points out.

Equally impressive was the fact that the express rolled into Naledi at exactly the appointed time. Ngomane explains: “So far, our punctuality observance has been 100%.”

The eight-coach train is exclusively first class and the service has been allocated priority in scheduling on this busy line. It stops at Dube at 06:52 and lkwesi at 06:57. Finishing the run to Park station at 07:17 means the SBE services the Soweto—Johannesburg corridor in just under 45 minutes.

With prevailing traffic congestion, the SBE is a lot faster than a private car. As configured at present, it has the capacity to carry about 530 seated passengers.

CAR COSTS COMPARED
If one considers the cost of fuel for a private car, wear and tear, and the expense of parking, the ticket is really cheap. This opinion was echoed by a number of passengers interviewed by Railways Africa. According to one commuter, when he took his car into work in central Johannesburg, his parking alone cost R400.00.

The objective of this enterprising initiative is to ensure that public transport gains ascendancy over private car use.

“We want to increase the use of train services on the Soweto line,” continues Ngomane.

REDUCING CONGESTION
“This will reduce congestion, road accidents and air pollution and by implication increase national productivity. With sky-rocketing fuel costs, coupled with ever-increasing congestion on our roads, rail passenger transport solutions remain the most viable and affordable alternative.”

Dedicated waiting and platform areas, and exclusive ticket outlet points, enhance the premium class status. To promote seamless, integrated transport, secure parking areas have been made available at the originating stations, to foster the park and ride concept. Metrorail is currently negotiating with municipal operator Metrobus, the idea being to provide connecting onward transport for commuters whose destinations lie beyond walking distance from Park station.

To minimise the effect of disruptions due to factors such as cable theft, a standby diesel locomotive is provided.

In between its morning-and-evening shuttle, the SBE train is used for educational purposes and for tourism.

Commuters can check on the status of the train either on the internet or by means of an SMS service.