Where was Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele a decade ago, when a high-speed railway link between Johannesburg and Durban should already have been among the top items on the government’s transport infrastructure priority list?
Well, he wasn’t in national government then, although as KwaZuluNatal’s first transport MEC after the 1994 elections, and later as premier of the province, the idea of upgrading the rail link between the country’s busiest port and its industrial heartland can surely not be entirely new to him.
It is a pity Ndebele didn’t feel he was in a position to push for the project earlier, because it would surely have been far easier to justify before the government had spent more than R7bn building a spanking new airport at La Mercy, 40km north of Durban.
The decision to close down the old Durban International Airport in favour of King Shaka International, which is scheduled to handle its first takeoff and landing in two weeks’ time, remains contentious. Not everyone is convinced that the airport move was necessary, especially at such immense cost.
Had there been a plan in place for an alternative means of transporting people at speed between Johannesburg and Durban, it is quite possible that the balance would have tilted towards the rail solution as a means of reducing the undeniable pressure on the old airport facilities. Be that as it may, there is still much to be said in favour of building the high-speed line anyway.
Although the flight between the two cities takes less than an hour, getting to and from the respective airports, checking in an hour in advance and waiting around for luggage can easily push that out to four or five hours from office to office. If the train journey could be reduced from 12 hours at present to the suggested three hours and the stations were conveniently situated, rail could well become the preferred option for many travellers.
It could also take some of the pressure off the N3 national road, and open the economy of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands to commercial development in addition to increased tourism. Besides, SA is going to need a few such large infrastructure development projects to replace World Cup-related activity.
While it is true that the country’s transport system faces huge challenges, including a R75bn road maintenance backlog and the need for significant upgrades to both the existing passenger and freight rail networks, this should not prevent the state from thinking outside the box, especially when it comes to securing funding.
If the high-speed rail concept is more than just an Ndebele vanity project, as his detractors are already suggesting, the Department of Transport will have no difficulty attracting private investors to partner with the state once a proper feasibility study has been done.
