Plans for high-speed train between Gauteng and Limpopo hit final stages

Gauteng is in the final stages of approving a plan to build a new high-speed rail service to Limpopo.

Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, the province’s MEC for Road and Transport, recently gave a speech to the provincial legislature on 1 August 2024 tabling Gauteng’s budget for the 2024-2025 financial year.

The speech provided an update on several of the province’s ongoing transport projects including its new number plates, as well as the high-speed train route it first proposed last year.

An economic boon for two provinces

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi first announced the plan to build a new high-speed railway to Limpopo in October 2023.

The stated goal is to link South Africa’s economic hub with one of the nation’s largest rural provinces, thereby alleviating congestion and fostering economic growth for both regions.

“Creating a new rail opportunity to Limpopo is a vote of confidence about the future. This future must incorporate Gauteng, and Gauteng must play a strategic role [in it],” said Lesufi.

Both provincial governments appointed a task team to perform feasibility studies on the proposed railway line, after which it would determine the approximate cost of the project before securing a public-private partnership for funding.

The premier previously explained that the size of the project meant it would require approval from the national treasury and go out on a tender, but that two private institutions – one local and one based in China – were already willing to provide financial backing.

Cut to August 2024, and construction of the high-speed train service is ready to be signed into action.

“We are pleased to announce that we are on the verge of signing an agreement with the Limpopo Provincial Government regarding the high-speed rail project,” said MEC Diale-Tlabela.

“This agreement marks a significant step forward in formalizing our commitment and collaboration, bringing us closer to the realization of this transformative transportation initiative.”

The task team appointed to assess the plan will work out the modalities and requisite legal framework, she said.

The proposed line will run for roughly 240km between Johannesburg, Gauteng and Polokwane, Limpopo, and is expected to be complete in around four to six years, depending on compliance and approval processes.

Jack van der Merwe, CEO of the Gauteng Transport Authority and former CEO of the Gautrain Management Agency (GMA), previously stated that the Gautrain will play a major role in the new Gauteng-to-Limpopo service.

From 2026, Gautrain is planning to add another 150km of track and 19 new stations to the provincial commuter rail system, which in turn will link to the Polokwane-destined line.