The plans to build a new high-speed train from Gauteng to Limpopo are advancing at a steady pace, with members from both provinces meeting to finalize the project.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has also provided an update on the matter, stating that the development of the country’s National Rail Masterplan, which includes details on the high-speed train, is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
Making progress
Limpopo Premier Phophi Ramathuba and Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi recently convened to discuss the project, which resulted in the approval of the implemental protocol document, constituting a formal agreement between the two parties.
The meeting also initiated the process for the nomination and appointment of a Joint Project Manager, and both provinces have agreed to engage in joint consultations with the Presidency, Ministries of Finance, Transport, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, and Trade, Industry, and Competition to secure buy-ins for the project.
The Gauteng-Limpopo Rail Link Project is set to be incorporated into the government’s Medium-Term Development Plan, which should help foster economic growth between the two provinces.
“We are of the view that the economies of the two provinces are beginning to merge, and we must find ways of harnessing this growth,” said Lesufi.
The project leaders will also schedule meetings with transport stakeholders, including the taxi industry.
The inter-provincial train line is part of a much larger “National Rail Masterplan” being developed by the government, which should be completed by the end of next year.
According to Ramaphosa, the Masterplan will revamp passenger rail across South Africa, including high-speed trains covering long distances between major cities.
The president emphasized that developing the country’s rail network is essential to economic growth and that trains must become the “backbone” of public transport.
He noted that passenger rail services have been making a steady recovery over the last year, as the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa has restored 31 out of its 40 priority corridors.
As of March 2024, over 40 million citizens were using trains again – a three-fold improvement compared to the same month the year prior.
Ramaphosa is particularly keen on the idea of bullet trains, having spoken on multiple occasions about a vision where individuals can travel between “smart cities” linked by lightning-fast transport.
To give one such example, China has trains reportedly capable of hitting speeds of 600km/h, which would allow South Africans to travel between Joburg and Durban in less than an hour if a similar system is ever implemented.
Pretoria to Polokwane
Lesufi first announced plans to construct a new modern railway to Limpopo in October 2023.
At the time, both provincial governments appointed a task team to perform feasibility studies on the proposed railway which could be used to determine the cost of the project.
The cost of the new Gauteng-Limpopo railway has yet to be disclosed, and the National Treasury still needs to approve the project before a tender can be issued.
However, Lesufi has stated that two institutions – one local and one based in China – are already willing to provide financial backing.
The Gauteng-Limpopo Rail Link Project will incorporate parts of the existing north-south corridor and is set to be built in two phases, according to a recent video published by the ANC’s Limpopo branch.
By the time the high-speed network is finished, it will run through the following towns and cities:
- Pretoria
- Hammanskraal
- Bela-Bela
- Mokopane
- Polokwane
- Louis Trichardt
- Musina
Every town connected by the new rail line is expected to become a new economic hub, creating jobs within the region.
Furthermore, the Gautrain is set to play a major role in the new service, as it is currently planning to expand its own network by a combined 150km, which will eventually link with the Gauteng-Limpopo line for added convenience.
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