To boost SA’s economy while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions and promoting social distancing, the government should collaborate further with the private sector to identify projects in the rail transportation sector as part of its infrastructure drive.
I have no doubt that if the state presents viable and appropriately structured rail projects to the private sector, the funding and technological expertise will be made available to make these initiatives a reality. By reducing travel times for passengers and freight, improving mobility experience, lessening the carbon footprint and using country resources more efficiently, we can also improve cost efficiencies and build competitiveness into our businesses.
We are encouraged to see that there are already some planned projects in the rail and broader transport sectors, including a planned extension of the Gautrain network — a highly successful public-private partnership in its own right, celebrating 10 years of operations in 2020. The first phase of the Gautrain’s development created 34,000 direct jobs during construction and about 87,000 indirect jobs, according to a 2014 study by KPMG.
Against this backdrop, the economic effect of targeted rail infrastructure projects would be significant. Meanwhile, there is an emerging consensus globally that the economic recovery must be driven by climate-smart and sustainable policies and strategies. Climate change has come to the fore amid the Covid-19 crisis and policymakers are being urged to respond with future generations in mind.
As government prepares for the roll-out of infrastructure projects, there are certain urgent steps that can be taken to improve the efficiency and capacity of the country’s rail networks. For instance, the state has an opportunity to quickly increase third party — private sector — access to rail networks.
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