Rail nerve centre opened

The Minister of Transport, Ms Dipuo Peters together with the Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport Mr Ismail Vadi, conducted a site tour of the new Gauteng Rail Nerve Centre (GNC).

The GNC is based in Kaalfontein, next to Esselen Park in Tembisa on Monday.

The newly constructed centre will act as the signalling control centre for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) and will enable operators to monitor all passenger train activities in Gauteng.

The introduction of the latest technology incorporates, but is not limited to, the re-signaling of sub-projects, a centralised operational control centre with automatic train routing and tracking, event logging and a SPAD detection and notification system.

The GNC was officially launched on Sunday last week.

Speaking at the GNC on a Monday, Minister Peters said she was excited to officially open the PRASA Gauteng Nerve Centre, three days since the official launch of October Transport Month.

“The centre will act as the signalling control hub of PRASA’s passenger rail network, where all passenger train activities in Gauteng can be monitored,” she explained.

She said October was declared Transport Month in 2005, the month used to raise awareness about the important role of transport in the economy and to encourage participation from civil society and business, including the provision of a safe and more affordable, accessible and reliable transport system in the country.

“The month is also used to engage in extensive campaigns showcasing the progress achieved in various transport programmes and projects. This year’s Transport Month theme is ‘Together we move South Africa forward’. It goes without saying that the effective operation of the transport system depends on the inter-relationship of a number of factors, which includes governance, service delivery, management, responsibility and funding,” he said.