Large-scale rail expansion on the cards

The department of transport is proposing that the success of the Gautrain be replicated in other areas of SA.

This could result in the introduction of a service operating between Cape Town and the Winelands; in the Durban metro and surrounding areas; between Gauteng and Polokwane; Gauteng and Rustenburg in the North West; and one operating from Mthatha through East London to Gqeberha.

The department has released for public comment its long-awaited White Paper on National Rail Policy.

The white paper — a policy document that sets out proposals for future legislation — aims to make rail the bedrock of the country’s transportation needs, moving both passengers and freight from roads to a national rail network that would be reliable, fast, safe and efficient.

To achieve this, the white paper suggests a total overhaul of the national rail network from the existing narrow Cape gauge, which limits load capacity and train speeds to a maximum 80km/h, to a wider standard gauge line that will allow for ferrying heavier loads at higher speeds.

The possibility of introducing high-speed trains travelling at speeds of 300km/h and faster on longer-distance routes, operating on its own dedicated network, should also be investigated.

The white paper further encourages private sector participation in freight and passenger rail operations and devolving urban rail operations to municipalities that have the capacity to manage these.

It places rail at the centre of initiatives to limit climate change as the most energy-efficient transport mode.

The white paper calls for more participation of third parties in both freight and passenger operations, noting that the Passenger Rail Service of SA was underfunded and unable to provide optimum service.

It further calls for more competition on all freight lines where Transnet Freight Rail is battling to meet demand due to inadequate rolling stock, and theft and vandalism of its infrastructure.

Transnet recently invited bids for 16 slots on the container corridor between City Deep and Durban, and the line between Tshwane and East London/Gqeberha to third party operators.

However, it has been criticised for making slots available for 24 months, a period deemed inadequate by a number of potential third party operators. —