A group of twenty (20) South African teenagers have invented the country’s first fully solar-powered train. The teenagers who showcased their inventory at a university event are students of Soshanguve Technical School, South Africa.
For years, South Africa has been struggling with power cuts and cable thefts in which the railway is not an exemption from the effect of the crisis. The power outages have caused disruptions affecting poor and working-class commuters relying on trains.
According to the teenagers, they’ve watched their parents struggle to use trains for daily commutes. “Our parents no longer use trains because of cable thefts and load shedding” said eighteen years old Ronnie Masindi.
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Improvement In South Africa Rail Transport
The inventors report that the train can run at thirty (30) kilometres (20 miles) per hour, and currently, the prototype can run for ten (10) return trips on the track installed on the ground of a school.
With photovoltaic panels fitted on the roof, the angular blue and white test train moves on an eighteen (18) metre long (60 feet) test track in Soshanguve township north of the capital Pretoria.
Nearly all railways in South Africa use a 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Cape Guage track. This was selected in the 19th century to reduce the cost of building tracks across and through the mountains found in several parts of the country. The Guatrain rapid transit railway uses 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 in) Standard Guage track.
The prototype, which took approximately two years to build, is set to redefine railway travel in South Africa and the entire continent, as it is a cheaper long-term alternative.
It will be used for further research and eventually presented as a model the government could adopt, as between fifty per cent to eighty per cent of the rail lines in South Africa are electrified.
Transportation by rail is an important element of the country’s transport infrastructure. All major cities are connected by rail, and South Africa’s railway system is the most highly developed in Africa.
Trains are the cheapest mode of transport in South Africa, used mostly by the poor and working class.
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Cable Thefts Affect Rail System in South Africa
Rail traffic has slowed down due to cable theft challenges and constant power disruptions.
With a network of over 30,000 km (18,600 miles) of track, South Africa has the most advanced railway system on the continent, but it has been stripped by criminals, thieves and vandals looking to make money from scrap metal.
In 2019, the government ordered to cancellation of all private security contracts, which the Passenger Rail Agency Of South Africa (PRESA) made a move on because the state’s financial watchdog found the correct process was not followed when the contract was awarded.
After the enforcement, no contingency plan was put in place to look after the vital infrastructure.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 economic hurdles in South Africa, the country went into lockdown, and train stations became vulnerable. The stations were without security, therefore, became open to looters; there was a rise in cable thefts which saw 60 per cent of train users swap to buses and taxis to get to their destinations.
Eskom Holdings, the country’s power company, has also been accused of poor management and corruption, leading to debt and constant blackouts.
The state power company Eskimo started imposing on-and-off power rationing fifteen years ago to prevent a total national black.
The power outages, known locally as load shedding, have worsened over the years, affecting the country’s economy and production caused by hours of power outages. Factories and offices have shut down for hours at a time.
The regular power cuts and cable thefts have disrupted networks in some regions, internet access and phone calls. Mobile operator companies such as Vodacom and MTN are currently facing high fuel costs to keep their towers running.
Besides, battery theft has been advancing, having to do with company relay networks in some locations. The continuous cutouts imply that batteries are only charging for 5 to 6 hours when they usually require a minimum of 12 hours to charge fully.
According to Eskom, the country could experience increased phases of scheduled blackouts to save energy. This means going up to 9 hours without power.
Last month, the country hit the level 6 record, which was implemented during the June winter. This allowed for approximately 6,000 megawatts to be cut to avoid a total blackout.
The rotational power outages have influenced the majority of the indigent population. Many small businesses are forced to close early, affecting the most industrialized country in Africa.