SA should fix commuter rail before JBH-DBN high-speed train, says expert
A logistics expert says while high-speed rail is technically possible in South Africa, it should not be the country’s immediate priority.
Discussions around a proposed high-speed train between Johannesburg and Durban have been gaining momentum.
In the State of the Nation Address last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa said at least 30 companies have indicated their willingness to participate in the development.
He confirmed that a request for proposals will be issued soon.
Industrial engineering professor at Stellenbosch University, Jan Havenga, says it's inspiring to dream about advanced railway engineering and high-speed rail.
He says that in countries like China, it has become a symbol of national pride and technological progress.
Havenga says developing such a service between KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng could cost around R250 billion.
However, he says if done right, the trip could take less than four hours and would be cheaper than taking a flight.
" That replaces flight, and we have about two million flights per annum. If you can connect any two cities in Europe by three hours or less, you're going to get people not flying anymore, but taking the train. It's much easier.
"If you go beyond four hours, it's not going to work. So you have to find a sweet spot of less than four hours, closer to three hours, and that is serious engineering that we're talking about here. To get to that point, it can be done. It is not impossible."
But Havenga says that, for South Africa, the immediate focus should be on developing an effective, affordable commuter rail system that serves the working class.
"The Minister of Transport has given us a very specific objective, and she says she wants 600 million passenger journeys by 2030, and she's correct. Now, what we need to do is mobilise our workforce. One of the pillars of success in India is their ability to mobilise their workforce; the average person pays less than 10% of their monthly income on commuting in South Africa. That figure is not 10%; it's 30%.
"That's one of the reasons why India is the fastest-growing major economy in the world, and this is what we need to focus on: mobilising our workforce. We need to focus on what Prasa is doing, and Prasa needs to get us to 600 million journeys as soon as possible."
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