THE countdown is on for the launch of the first phase of the Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network (IRPTN) in Ekurhuleni towards the middle of this year.
Construction of the transport management centre, which will ultimately form the backbone of the network, has been completed.
This high-tech centre next to Kempton Park Fire Station on Kelvin Road in Spartan will allow the city to monitor its public transport services and ensure that commuters travel conveniently and safely.
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The state-of-the-art centre will monitor all public transport modes through CCTV cameras, vehicle tracking and navigation systems. The centre will kick off its operations with the Harambee Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses, stations and stops and will enable the city to enhance public transport systems by managing traffic flows from one central point.
The project entailed the refurbishment of the old disaster and emergency management services building and transforming it into a fully functional facility that could host the centre. Twenty five jobs were created specifically for this project.
The following systems will be accommodated in the centre: automated fare collection system, advance public transport management system and a video wall.
Phase 1 comprises a 56km long route from Tembisa in the north via Kempton Park, OR Tambo International Airport and Boksburg to Volsoorus in the south.
Trunk route corridors will run along the major mobility spines with branch or feeder routes, ensuring significant area-wide coverage and supplementing the current and future passenger rail network, which Ekurhuleni recognises as its transport backbone.
BRT routes
A trunk route is the main route from one destination to another.
In line with its Metropolitan Spatial Development Framework, these routes link existing and proposed major residential and economic nodes, providing equitable access to opportunities for all Ekurhuleni’s citizens.
In total, seven trunk routes will be implemented over several years, in five phases.
A complementary route adds extended, circular routes to the main trunk route. There will be a 4,2km long complementary route between Tembisa Hospital and just north of Tembisa Civic Centre, along Rev RTJ Namane and Andrew Mapheto drives to DM Marokane Drive.
A feeder route travels from the outer suburbs and joins the trunk route at a key station. In total, there will be 218 feeder bus stops.
Phase 1A will run from Tembisa to Rhodesfield (initial service planned for mid-2016). Phase 1A operations will include a feeder service to OR Tambo International Airport.
This phase comprises a trunk section from Tembisa Civic Centre in the north, Rhodesfield in the south via Zuurfontein Road, CR Swart Drive and Pretoria Road.
A northern complementary (trunk extension) service will operate from Tembisa Hospital and integrate with the trunk at Tembisa Civic Centre.
The trunk route will run from Tembisa to Kempton Park, along Andrew Mapheto Drive, then from Kempton Park to OR Tambo International Airport via CR Swart Drive, with a complementary route from Kempton Park to Isando via Zuurfontein Road.
Phase 1B will be from Rhodesfield to Boksburg via OR Tambo International Airport and Phase 1C will run from Boksburg to Vosloorus.
Future cross-border connections of Harambee services have also been proposed. These may include connections to Greenstone, Alexandra, Ivory Park and Midrand.
