MetroBlitz

[John Ashworth]

During the first week of its operation, the MetroBlitz trainset hauled by class 12E units, whines downgrade towards Irene Station en route Johannesburg. The coaches were equipped with an airbag type suspension, for a smoother ride. The set was timed to be an express service between Pretoria and Johannesburg. When the service was discontinued, the units were painted Blue and used on the Blue Train, until replaced by the 14E's. Today, much of the MetroBlitz stands as burnt out coaches at Koedoespoort workshops...

Photo and caption by Nathan Berelowitz

Date?

[Luca Lategan]

The MetroBlitz facinates me, did anyone of you ever travel on the train? How did it look inside, was it like the Soweto Busines Express or just a normal MetroPlus (1st Class) service?

Did some idiot ignite the coaches while standing at Koedoespoort or did it happen while in service?

Also, what was the difference between the MetroBlitz and the Jakarandasnel?

And one last thing, does anybody maybe have the running times for this train? According to the Blits (News on Track) of a few weeks back, there are plans to put a luxury train service in place by April / May that will feature simmilar luxuries as the Soweto Business Express. This train will do the trip in about one hour. A competition is running to get a name for the train.

[Kevin Wilson-Smith]

Nice smart train set.

[Nathan Berelowitz]

What I did hear about the coach sets was that they had airbag suspension. This was a problem, as there was no real safety backup if the bags were punctured and this could also have led to some real serious problems. We tried to obtain one for display, but they cannot now be moved at all, as the airbags have collapsed and they will now be cut up where they stand.

I travelled on one of the first services, and recall going to the toilet and flushing it whilst travelling at speed, and it was like a huge "whoosh", and ones ears felt funny as the pressure seemed to change!!
I cant recall the decor, but there were airoplane type seating in it.

[John Ashworth]

I travelled on one of the first services

Nathan, when was this? Roughly? What was the era of the MetroBlitz?

[Luca Lategan]

Quite a while ago I mailed the Gautrain-people about the MetroBlitz vs Gautrain, Ingrid Jensen helped me and went through quite a bit of trouble in finding answers for me. Sorry for the Afrikaans, but this is taken directly out of the e-mail.

My Questions were:
"Ek verstaan dat daar reeds in 1984 begin is met 'n hoëspoed diens tussen Johhannesburg en Pretoria en dat dit ook baie gerieflik en vinnig was soos die Gautrein behoort te wees. Daar is spesiale hoëspoed-lokomotiewe gebou, en ook spesiale passasiers koetse met lugvering om die rit gemakliker te maak. Vandag word die baie duur en vinnige lokomotiewe gebruik om die Bloutrein mee te sleep teen 80km/h (baie stadiger as waartoe dit instaat is!) en die koetse staan en oproes iewers in 'n skrootwerf

Ek wil weet wat van die MetroBlits geword het.
Hoekom is dit gestop en watter voorsorg maatreëls daar getref is om die Gautrein van dieselfde toekoms te red?
Het julle nie weer na so 'n diens gekyk nie en hoe is die Gautrein sò anders as die MetroBlits?"

The answers were:
"Ek het persoonlik geen kennis van die MetroBlits nie en gaan dus eers ‘n bietjie navrae doen. Dit mag dalk moeilik gaan aangesien dit voor die nuwe regering was.

Gautrain is ‘n R20 miljard (thats 20 billion! This figure is now probarly double this amount, anyone got a update?) ‘public-private-partnership’ projek wat beteken dat daar ‘n groep private besighede betrokke by die staat is om die projek eerstens te bou en tweedens die diens te offer. Met die private besighede wat nou in ‘n 20 jaar kontrak is met die Gautengse Provinsiale Regering is daar geen uitkom kans nie – dit verseker ook dat die provinsiale regering seker gaan maak dat Gautrain ‘n sukses sal wees.

In verband met u laaste vraag – soos genoem weet ek nie van die MetroBlits nie en kan dus nie se hoe die Gautrain gaan verskil daarvan nie. Waarvan ek persooklik seker is is dat Gautrain veilig, op tyd en gemaklik gaan wees.

During a meeting yesterday afternoon I had to opportunity to ask the Gautrain Project Leader (Proberly Jack van der Merwe) about the Metroblits. En wraggies!

Gedurende die vroee 1970s het die engineurs van Spoornet ‘n manier gevind om die stelse daardie tyd aan te pas vir ‘n vinniger trein. Deel van die aanpassing was dat geen ander treine gedurende die rit van die Metroblits op die stelsel kon beweeg nie. Dus is alle ander treine en relevante dienste op die roete tussen Johannesburg en Pretoria vir ‘n uur en ‘n half gestop om die Metroblits deur te laat.

Die Metroblits het ‘gehardloop’ vir twee jaar maar die diens is gestop aan gesien dit nie bekostigbaar (lonend) was nie."

Question is, will the Gautrain will EVER be rewarding?

If this service was indroduced in the 1970's the SAR will have probarly FOUND a way to let this service be rewarding, the SATS just didn't care and didn't mind that all this money was wasted.

[John Ashworth]

Thanks, Luca. I don't understand Afrikaans (except a few bad words which the old steam drivers have taught me - you can't work on the footplate unless you understand Afrikaans swear words!), but I see "1970s", so do I take it that the MetroBlitz era was the 1970s?

[Luca Lategan]

No, it says that they found a way to conquer the problem of running trains at almost double the speed of normal trains, just take out all the other trains! Also in the 1970's was on 11 November 1976, when a specially geared electric locomotive exceeded 200km/h (124mph). The purpose was to test the stability of the scheffel cross-anchor bogie with its self-steering wheelsets widely used on the SAR. In December 1978 a class 6E electric locomotive fitted with a bullet nose and modified gear ratio, hauling one coach, reached a speed of 245km/h (152mph) over a distance of 3km (2miles) between Midway and Westonaria near Johannesburg. Apparantly this coach also had the airbags

This paved the way for other high-speed services and the Metroblitz trainsets were ordered the service started somewhere in 1983, still trying to find the exact date.

[John Ashworth]

Very interesting! Thanks very much.

If they could achieve speeds of over 200 kph on Cape Gauge track using 1970s technology, then the Gautrain could presumably have been built to run at a mere 160 kph on the same gauge in the 21st century.

The concept "just take out all the other trains" is now widely used - most high speed lines in Europe are new dedicated lines only for high speed trains. It is part of the Gautrain concept where a completely new line is being built for the new train.

[Luca Lategan]

That's why I don't understand why, in heavens name, they are building it to standard guage! Does the future of South African rail involve converting all the "core lines" to standard guage? This would certainly give them a reason to dispense of all the other routes that they don't want in any case.

This project is costing billions already, and now the train will be confined to the 80 or so kilometers of route.

[Luca Lategan]

I travelled on one of the first services, and recall going to the toilet and flushing it whilst travelling at speed, and it was like a huge "whoosh", and ones ears felt funny as the pressure seemed to change!!

I thought there was no toilets on the trains, isn't that why you arrived at work with dirty pants, Nathan?

[Luca Lategan]

New information that just arrived with the Railways Africa News Xpress.

“GAUTRAIN COST NOW R35BN”
Friday, 04 April 2008
“Construction on what is now a R35 billion project”, says ITweb, “started in September 2006.

“When first mooted in 2002, the total cost was a tenth of the latest estimate: R3.5 billion to R4 billion. A year later, the projected cost stood at R7 billion and in 2005 officials said the new total was R20 billion.”

[ Well that’s what ITweb says. Chairman of parliament’s portfolio committee on transport Jeremy Cronin (who thought R35bn more realistic than the present R25.2bn official all-in figure – which ITweb curiously omits to mention), later revised his estimate to R29bn. Gautrain project leader Jack van der Merwe, who insists the figure is R25.2bn and not a cent more, nevertheless concedes it can rise if CPIX exceeds government inflation targets.

It does already – and is heading in only one direction - up. - editor


SHOCKING!!!

[Luca Lategan]

For completeness. Please see my post viewtopic.php?f=145&t=4761 about Dr. JGH Loubser where there is more information on the Metroblitz and other high-speed operations.

[Nathan Berelowitz]

This year is 25 years since it first ran!

[Luca Lategan]

Well of course, we haven't exactly gone forward in the 25 years. This is our 'upgrade' from 2009: Business Express