By Akani Nkuna
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy on Thursday launched the public engagement process on the draft National Rail Master Plan, saying the overhaul needed to revive the country’s rail system and shift freight from road to rail would require close to R2 trillion in public and private investment.
Addressing stakeholders at the launch of the Gauteng consultation process, Creecy said: “This Plan aims to position rail as the backbone of South Africa’s logistics and transport ecosystem.”
She said the draft plan outlines “a sustainable, strategic framework for rail network planning” and covers both passenger and freight rail, including commuter services and long-distance passenger travel.
She said the plan recognises that a stronger rail network would benefit “households, communities and the economy as a whole”.
Constraints, she said, included infrastructure needs and areas for expansion.
A primary goal, she said, was to “rebalance road-to-rail freight distribution”.
The road system remains
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