05 Oct 2016

 The BR Express passenger train which was re-instated in March this year has not only been appreciated by people living along the A1 road or the railway line but also people in other districts.
Some Jwaneng residents for instance, have expressed positive views about the train. Khumiso Mpatane, a 28- year-old woman who lives in Jwaneng said the train is very convenient for her.
She said although she is a resident of Jwaneng, she originates from Mathangwane village where she makes regular trips.
She said every time she travels to her home village which is about 30 km from Francistown along the Maun road she uses the train.
“When I go to my home village, I usually leave Jwaneng around four o’clock in the evening to go to Lobatse where I would catch the train which leaves at seven o’çlock in the evening,” said Ms Mpatane.
She said she has only been opting for the standard class seat arrangement which is one of the seat arrangements in the train.
She said she pays P102 only for the standard class to travel all the way to Francistown.
Ms Mpatane said the standard class is the cheapest class and yet has very comfortable seats.
“The seats face the same direction like those in a bus unlike the ones in the previous train which were facing opposite directions and people would be facing each other,” she said.
Ms Mpatane said the seats are comfortable and have a lever on the side which allows the passenger to lean back a bit if they want to sleep.
“You would want to lean back a bit and relax because there are some television screens inside where movies are always playing,” she said.
Mr Thabo Modise, a 38-year-old man who is also a resident of Jwaneng said he sometimes uses the train to travel to his home village of Tonota.
He said although he has his own private car, he usually finds the train to be more convenient.
“The train allows me to travel after hours and because I’m usually tired after work, it becomes more convenient,” he said.
He said he usually prefers the business class as the seats are more comfortable and there is Wi-fi Internet.
He said the fare is P171 for those who want to ride in the business class to Francistown and it is worth it.  Mr Modise also said other benefits include the snack that is offered in the business class.
“In essence, the P171 is reasonable because you don’t have to spend more money on food,” he said. He said the train was especially convenient for him during the independence holidays because he used it to travel to his home village.
“The announcement was made on radio that there will be day train during the holidays so I took advantage of that but the difference is that day train only starts from Gaborone,” he said.
Kaone Kgotlaetsile, who hails from Kanye, said she was once “privileged to travel to Francistown by train and in the first class arrangement”. She said in that arrangement, there are beds so one is able to sleep comfortably and have privacy.
Ms Kgotlaetsile said she was offered snacks on the way but more than anything she valued the availability of Internet.
She encourages Batswana to use the train for travelling as it is safer and convenient.
“You don’t necessarily have to be from the north of the country to use the train,” she said.
Ms Kgotlaetsile said when she travelled by train, she had things to do in Francistown so she left with the evening train from Lobatse and arrived around six o’clock in the morning, she did whatever she had to do during the day and at nine o’clock in the evening she was back in the train back to the south of the country. ENDS