I like how its compared to a sewage system.. LOL!! Cape Town - If the Gauteng government cannot obtain R700m by November 21, the Gautrain could derail, reported Die Burger. This service has to transport 110 000 passengers a day in order not to make a loss, but currently it transports only about 51 000 passengers a day. DA MP Ian Ollis said the Gauteng government issued a guarantee in 2006 that it will take responsibility for a shortfall in revenue if the Gautrain does not attact the required number of passengers. Dr Neil Campbell, the DAs spokesperson on roads and transport in Gauteng, said the Gautrain is world class, but unfortunately it is currently unaffordable. Before there could be any further extensions, a thorough independent cost analysis is needed. Currently Gautengs government has to pay a subsidy of about R1.5bn to transport 50 000 people daily, said Campbell. However, Bombela spokesperson Errol Braithwaite, denied that the Gautrain is experiencing a crisis. Theres a perception that the Gautrain has to be profitable and that government subsidies constitute a failure. This is far from the truth. The Gautrain is a public transport system like the metro bus system and operates in many ways like the sewage system and state hospitals. These facilities are not implemented to make a profit, but rather to ensure that society is functioning properly, he said. R700m urgently needed Gautengs government urgently needs R700m to pay the Gautrains operators. The money is in addition to the provinces annual budget. It will be paid to the Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) which needs the money for additional unforeseen expenses such as the finalisation of land claims, legal costs because of ongoing arbitration and planning costs for future extensions of the Gautrain system. Dr Barbara Jensen, spokesperson of the GMA, said there is also an amount to be paid to the Gautrains operator Bombela. This is for work that was done during the three months prior to the completion of the construction phase of the Gautrain (April - June 2012), she said. Meanwhile, the GMAs planning of extension to the existing Gautrain system is in full swing. New routes are planned to Soweto and the East Rand.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 09:45:15 +0000
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