Revamped Mutual Station Evidence Of Sarcc's Commitment To World-Class Commuter Rail Services

The Minister of Transport, Dr Dullah Omar, today officially opened the newly upgraded Mutual Station in Pinelands, lauding it as tangible evidence of the commitment of the South African Rail Commuter Corporation and the Department of Transport to the vision of providing a safe, reliable and efficient transport infrastructure for the people of South Africa.

The Station, which serves as a primary gateway for the Cape Town-Khayelitsha commuter rail route as well as the railway lines linking Cape Town and Belville, now boasts a train turnaround facility, an additional platform-to-platform pedestrian bridge, enhanced commuter facilities, and fenced, illuminated access pathways.

According to Wynand Burger, MD of the South African Rail Commuter Corporation (SARCC), the launch of the revamped Mutual Station is the culmination of years of planning and research into finding solutions to the ongoing problem of overcrowding, that has long plagued the Station.

"As early as 1995, the SARCC identified the problem of overcrowding at Mutual Station," he explains, "which was giving rise to numerous other serious issues such as danger to passengers, security problems and fare evasion - all of which impacted on both commuters and Metrorail, the concessionaire."

"The greatest challenge facing the upgrade project was the fact that the entire process had to be undertaken without obstructing the operation of the Station," explains Burger, "which is a somewhat daunting order when one considers that the Station is used by more than 50 000 people every day."

Burger said that the extensive upgrading of Mutual Station is one of SARCC's objectives to improving the rail commuting experience and getting more people to use this affordable means of public transport in our country.

The completion of this R30 million project has meant that a further eight rail services could be introduced between Khayelitsha and Mutual during peak periods, thereby significantly easing the overcrowding of trains and platforms. In addition, the second pedestrian bridge and the enhanced facilities will make the Mutual Station experience that much more pleasant for commuters, while the introduction of formal access control measures and secure access pathways (turnstiles) should ensure the safety of commuters using the Station and help reduce fare evasion.