Resources How to Tender Tender Articles Tender Sectors Tender News

Department mulls high-speed trains

The Transport Department will commission an independent study into the cost and feasibility of high-speed trains between major cities, Business Day reported on Thursday. Mawethu Vilana, the deputy director-general for integrated transport planning, said on Wednesday that a tender for the study would be issued this year, the newspaper reported. The trains run at speeds as high as 400km/h. High-speed rail needed a wider gauge than the one used throughout South Africa, with the Gautrain the country's only standard-gauge railway.

Vilana said the future of rail was high-speed, with the government's focus in the future being the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) using trains travelling at between 140km/h and 160km/h on the narrow-gauge infrastructure. In discussions on high-speed rail, the Durban to Johannesburg route featured strongly, said Vilana. Cape Town to Johannesburg was also being mooted, though intermediate stops would be needed. There was also demand from Polokwane to Gauteng.

Source: www.iol.co.za

BACK TO NEWS

Department mulls high-speed trains

Latest News