The pros and cons of travelling from Belhar to Rondebosch by train

My typical transport schedule from home to work consists of taking two different trains. I leave my house in Belhar just after 7am and walk 500 meters to the PENTECH station, which takes me about five minutes. The train arrives at 07:17. It gets to Cape Town station at 8am. The journey is just over forty minutes long. At Cape Town station, I board another train to Simonstown at 08:09, and it stops at Rondebosch station at 08:23. From there, I walk three minutes to work.

From PENTECH to Cape Town, a monthly Metro (third class) ticket is R124, a price that was increased from R99 on 1 July. From Cape Town to Rondebosch I use Metro Plus (1st class) because the third class carriages are too hectic during rush hour. A weekly Metro Plus (1st class) ticket from Cape Town to Rondebosch is R64, which adds up to R256 for a whole month. I pay R380 per month solely to travel between home and work.

Much of the time the trains are delayed. The signaling system is outdated and the infrastructure is dilapidated. Some carriages do not even have windows. The last train to PENTECH is at 19:10, which is extremely early. There are more than enough security guards at Cape Town station who sit around barely doing anything while there aren’t enough guards patrolling on moving trains. The Rondebosch route has shorter trains with most carriages dedicated to first class passengers, while the majority of commuters use third class. Overloading is a daily routine during peak hours, and makes travelling very unpleasant for everyone.

Despite there being a variety of things not working on the Metrorail systems, there are some things that are efficient. The first class trains are much better than third class trains. There are no broken windows, and security guards are usually present. Trains to PENTECH have enough carriages to accommodate the third class passengers.

Portia Mkosini is a regular commuter on the train, and takes the Strand to Salt River route. Last month she spent R216 on a monthly third class ticket. She says, “The cost is pathetic, looking at the service Metrorail offers.” Mkosini thinks Metrorail can be improved if the city as a whole invests in a reliable, integrated transport system. “The existing coaches are ageing, which causes breakdowns and results in numerous cancellations and delays of trains. If they can get a way of preventing these incidents, maybe the trains will be more reliable.”