Cyril Ramaphosa may dream about bullet trains, but the reality is that just getting this country’s imports and exports from Durban to Gauteng is a challenge for Transnet. While Transnet encourages private sector participation in word, its deeds say something else.
A fatal train crash at a station in Roodepoort on Wednesday 12 February 2019, involving a locomotive and freight train, resulted in a shutdown of the line running from the West Rand into Johannesburg.
For passengers, it was just another inconvenience in a daily litany of inconveniences.
For transport planners, it was another reminder that running freight trains in a rapidly densifying urban area is a logistical nightmare.
