High-speed rail linking Durban to Johannesburg is slow to get started

durban - seven months after the proposed high-speed train project between durban and johannesburg was first announced, the kwazulu-natal government is yet to table a formal proposal for the approval by the national department of transport.

at the time of the announcement, the provincial leaders had indicated they would contact their national counterparts a month later.

the spokesperson for the transport department, collen msibi, said so far it had heard of this project only through the media.

"our understanding is that it is still being discussed at provincial level and no proposal has been made to the national minister [jeff radebe]." he said the link must be aligned to the national rail plan.

transport specialist paul copley said the project would cost a "monumental amount".

"you would have to replace the rail system and realign the earthworks," he said.

"i do not see the passenger demand for that [rail link] between durban and johannesburg, because you already have the bus coaches and the planes.

"in europe it is working because there is such a passenger congestion there."

kwazulu-natal premier sibusiso ndebele told the sa road federation conference last september that the train would reduce the 600km journey between the two cities to three hours.



he then said the province expected to know by the end of october whether it had the green light, which would then be followed by a formal proposal to radebe's department.

seven months on, it is not clear what is happening with the project, which is expected to cost about r50 billion.

last week, kwazi mbanjwa, the director-general in the premier's office and the former transport director-general, claimed that the province had the support of spoornet and the parastatal was helping to source funding for the project.

he said that construction could start as early as next year and that some overseas companies had shown interest in the project.

bheki cele, the transport mec for kwazulu-natal, would say only that there were still discussions around the project.

copley said this project could cost at least six times more than the gautrain.

"the gautrain [link], which is about 100km [long], is going to cost r23 billion," he said. "the trip between johannesburg and durban is 600km; that means a lot of money.

"i do not think the private sector would be interested in spending [that much] and it is a lot higher for government as well."

calls made by business report to get comment from the sa rail commuter corporation were not returned.