MARITZBURG-DURBAN BUSINESS TRAIN
Posted on 03 August 2009
Metrorail is planning a business express rail service to link Pietermaritzburg with Durban. KwaZulu-Natal MEC for transport, community safety and liaison Bheki Cele announced this when tabling his R5 billion budget in the provincial legislature on 24 July – five days before his appointment as national commissioner of police. It is hoped to introduce a train into Durban in the morning peak, returning in the afternoon, by the end of 2009. A second train would be added later in the opposite direction. The objective is to reduce traffic on the N3 national road and lessen the accident rate.
One or two realities appear to lie in the way. According to recent tests, a non-stop train could not complete the 104km journey in less than 111 minutes. This compares with 45 minutes in a car off-peak – though somewhat more in early morning traffic. In switching to rail, motorists would need to drive to Maritzburg station and park, spend almost two hours on the train, then take a feeder bus to the CBD, which lies some distance away from Durban station. Will sufficient people be prepared to do this, to make the service viable?
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Tags | Business Express, Metrorail
Oops – sorry, that should obviously be 6h45! I think the trip could have been done in an hour twenty eastily.
Premier Classe on the morning of 18 July left Maritsburg at approx 7.45am and dawdled into Dbn, arriving at 8.10 (20 minutes ahead of schedule.) I had the impression that the driver was really dragging it out in the last half hour.
I should think an hour and twenty minutes quite achievable. I have a friend in Mariztburg who wants to catch the Premier Classe to Durban as a morning option.