Cape Town: Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has welcomed renewed rail devolution commitments in the draft National Rail Masterplan released for public comment by Transport Minister Barbara Creecy. Mayor Lewis is further calling for clear deadlines on devolution, given the urgent need for affordable, integrated public transport for residents, especially the lower-income households.
The Masterplan reaffirms ‘the future devolution of urban rail to municipalities, guided by a National Devolution Strategy’ as an important part of national rail policy (section 3.10). There are also plans for a national Rail Planning Unit to oversee devolution (section 13.4).
The plan further praises Cape Town’s proactive station precinct planning, and states that ‘this aspect needs to be driven by the metros and local authorities working with PRASA as is now done by Cape Town’. This is part of the metro’s long-term vision for upgraded station precincts, including affordable housing, over the next two decades.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said that they welcome government’s renewed commitment to rail devolution in this National Masterplan. The next crucial step is for Minister Creecy to finalise the draft National Rail Bill and Devolution Strategy as soon as possible.
The draft Masterplan is silent on devolution timeframes, and the city’s submission will call for clear and urgent deadlines. Cape Town stands ready to be the first metro to run its local trains, and they are encouraged that the masterplan acknowledges the city’s Rail Business Plan and proactive planning.
According to Lewis, in this time, they want to see Capetonians using just one ticket to hop from trains to MyCiti buses and other public transport. Only capable metros can deliver a safe, reliable and affordable one-ticket system in line with the constitutional mandate for integrated public transport.
The National Masterplan cites research from Cape Town’s Rail Business Plan. It found that lower-income households would save an estimated R932m a year; if trains were working as they should in a devolved and integrated transport system.
City feasibility studies into a viable devolution handover found that Prasa and national government first need to restore Cape Town’s rail network operations to 620,000 daily passenger trips, which existed prior to the steady collapse of rail over the last decade.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Urban Mobility – Councillor Rob Quintas stated that the City’s Rail Business Plan explored nine devolution scenarios, by identifying the three most viable options. All viable options involve the devolution of rail services, associated assets and infrastructure to the City with the participation of the private sector operating services on a contractual or comprehensive concession basis.
Quintas added that the Business Plan also rules out less viable devolution scenarios where infrastructure remains owned and managed by Prasa, and where the City operates the rail service rather than the private sector.
Crucially, the plan concludes that devolution is only possible with funding from the national fiscus, with no room within the rates base of the City of Cape Town to cross-subsidise rail. The City also needs to have authority over fare-setting, access to long-term National grant-funding, and to generate local revenue through public-private partnerships and commercialisation.
According to Quintas, this is in line with the City’s constitutional mandate for integrated transport planning across different public transport modes.
Under the Cape Town Long-Term Plan, which sets out the City’s overall strategic goals until 2050, 75% of passenger trips are to be made with public transport, with rail as the backbone of an integrated system under City control.