Herron added that rail formed part of the city's plans to create an integrated public transport system, with buses and minibus taxis.
The city, he continued, should be given full management authority, along with the rail subsidy, to plan, manage and fund the service. "It is extremely important for the city and for our residents that there is a substantial improvement in the quality, frequency, reliability and safety of this (rail) service," Herron said. However, according to Prasa spokeswoman Nana Zenani, the matter was still under discussion. "There has not been an agreement," she said. The transport department was not immediately available for comment.
On Monday, 13 February 2012, Beeld newspaper reported that the government was considering transferring control of passenger train services from Prasa to cities. Deputy Transport Minister Jeremy Cronin said the government wanted cities to develop a comprehensive transport system, taking into account buses, trains, minibus taxis and other means of transport. "Our cities are expanding at an ever accelerating pace," Cronin said, according to Independent Online, adding that the government expects that by 2030, 70 percent of South Africans will be living in cities," we require systems that can keep pace with this level of growth, he said.
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