Rail developments should receive same treatment as roads
With Southern Africa’s transport costs twice that of the global average, the region should stimulate the development of its rail infrastruc-ture the way governments pursue their road network initiatives, Southern African Railways Association (Sara) executive director Bernard Dzawanda has argued.
Road networks are rolled out based on the overall economic benefits of the infrastructure rather than profit accrual for the road operator, while the roll-out of a suitable rail network span- ning the Southern African region should be devel- oped in the same manner.
“It is in countries’ best interest to develop a sustainable rail network,” Dzawanda said. “We should just say let there be rail.”
The cost per ton per kilometre of cargo moved on rail was cheaper than transport by road, with improved fuel efficiencies, he explained at the Sara Rail conference, held in Midrand from May 27 to 29.
The development and increased use of rail would improve each country’s economic and financial sustainability, while easing pressures on the environment.
But underinvestment in the sector has con-tributed to capacity constraints, missing rail links and maintenance backlogs, leaving rail transport at a competitive disadvantage.
Companies are continuing to excessively use more expensive modes of freight transport, which further hiked the cost of doing business.
Dzawanda noted that this had also led to a reduction in the proportion of rail infrastructure worldwide.
In the 1960s, rail accounted for 30% of all infra- structure globally; but by 2010, this had declined to only 6%.
The Rail Road Association’s Gorman Zimba said the Southern African rail network was ready for the implementation of the region’s road-to-rail migration; however, the incorrect model for driving the rail industry’s growth was being applied.
Article Enquiry
Email Article
Save Article
Feedback
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation















