High Speed, Standard-Gauge Rail in South Africa: Misguided Rail

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John Ashworth
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High Speed, Standard-Gauge Rail in South Africa: Misguided Rail

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High Speed, Standard-Gauge Rail in South Africa: Misguided Rail
The National Rail Policy recently announced by the South African Department of Transport describes the move to a largely liberalized rail environment, creating strong frameworks for Public-Private Participation – much to the anticipation of the Southern African Business Community. A major focus of the White Paper is the introduction of Standard Gauge Rail (SGR) technology in our major rail networks. Our main freight and passenger networks (all 38,000 route km) are all 1,067 mm, known as Cape Gauge, so named after the wide use of this particular gauge in the Cape Colonies... Since this announcement, several African countries have embarked on their own SGR rail projects...

For many reasons, SGR is a superior standard to that of our existing network... Furthermore, SGR is more prevalent in developed nations resulting in higher rates of technological development, wider ranges of equipment availability, and access to an international marketplace... Yes, SGR is undoubtedly a progressive move, however, we cannot negate the competencies of our existing network. Forgetting (not forgiving) the current maladministration of our network, the Southern African Rail Network retains proven capabilities which mostly nullify the argument of capacity in consideration of SGR...
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