Civil Engineering July 2021 | Vol 29 No 6

Civil Engineering July 2021 23 to achieve and where we are going, why we are going there and how we will get there. For too long, organisations such as Prasa have been rudderless with no clear direction or strategy of the ‘what, how or why’. This erodes employee morale and leads to a continuous race to the bottom with regards to service delivery,” Matthews explained. He added that these principles must be combined with proper monitoring and continuous evaluation. Early detection of chal- lenges not only allows for a more efficient allocation of resources, but also provides the project owner with some comfort that the assistance required is available. RAIL CORRIDORS Prasa is working on the densification of rail corridors to create vibrant communities through social housing, residential devel- opment, and mixed-use development in and around stations. The rail agency intends to partner with the Social Housing Regulatory Authority, an agency of Department of Human Settlements, as well as provincial departments of housing and the private sector. In addition to this, Prasa is beginning to play a role in ad- dressing the shortage of student housing with the conversion of properties around rail stations, as well as with new develop- ments around rail stations to house students in Cape Town, Braamfontein and Pretoria. “We are aiming here to entice new rail commuters not only during the years that students are in tertiary education but also for the future. Bringing people closer to rail will ensure sustainable demand for the future and meet the trend of millen- nials that prefer to live around robust public transport, shops, restaurants, libraries, parks, and a mix of housing styles such as apartments and houses,” explained Matthews. RENEWAL, MODERNISATION & DEVELOPMENT Matthews said renewal initiatives will prioritise ten urban rail corridors in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape for major rehabilitation and recovery. Capital investment and recovery projects will be consolidated under a single programme manager to break down silos and to encourage an understanding of rail corridors as a business asset. He added that Prasa will continue to modernise rail through digitalisation of signalling, a recycling programme, automatic train protection systems, electronic authorisation, and using digital data for predictive maintenance. “Transport planning needs to be in sync with spatial develop- ment. We should focus on creating smart cities with quality, robust public transport systems that will reduce congestion, fossil fuel use, and road crashes,” said Matthews. “It is clear that we have a lot of work ahead of us to ensure that the transport service, but especially rail, reaches its full potential. But I am confident that by planning well, working together, doing the basics right, and taking ownership of our successes and fail- ures alike, we will see passenger rail claim its rightful place at the heart of the transport network of the future, not as a stand-alone mode, but as an integral and sustainable partner in our com- muters’ daily lives.”  Prasa plans to make rail a more attractive choice (Credit: GCIS, GovernmentZA, Flickr)