Metrorail adds more trains
By Tabisa Mntengwana
31 October 2008
METRORAIL is set to increase the number of trains operating in the Buffalo City area from November 1.
Trains between Berlin and East London will run every 15 minutes, with the first train leaving Berlin at 4.30am.
The new timetable has been drawn up “to assist passengers plan their trips with ease”, according to Metrorail’s regional manager, Claudia Williams.
“Trains (used to) stop at stations every 20 to 25 minutes but that will be a thing of the past once this initiative kicks off.”
However, passengers need to check the timetable very carefully as not all the trains will stop at each station along the route. Express trains are being introduced, cutting travel time between Berlin and East London by 18 minutes.
With the new schedule, trains 0002 and 0004 will only stop at Southernwood, Chiselhurst, Vincent, Cambridge, Mtsotso, Mount Ruth, Egerton, Fort Jackson and Berlin.
According to a Metrorail press release, the new schedule will help ease overcrowding on trains, and boost revenue.
On weekdays Metrorail serves over a million passengers across the country at 478 stations with a fleet of 270 trains. The train service has been around since the late 1800s.
More than 35 000 commuters are catered for on the East London – Berlin route including students, workers, business people and shoppers.
A detailed time table is available at train stations in the City.
“We want to remain committed to the provision of a train service that is clean, punctual, reliable and safe,” said Mamnkeli Ngam, the marketing and communications manager at Metrorail.
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