High-speed Jozi to Durban train plans back on the radar

The Department of Transport (DoT) has developed a plan to “test the water” for a new 300km/h per high-speed railway between Johannesburg and Durban by launching a new era of long distance regional rapid transit in South Africa.

Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy launched a request for information (RFI) process on Sunday for potential private partners to provide insights and innovative ideas for investment in a new generation of faster, safer and more frequent regional trains and four other potential private-sector-participation passenger rail system opportunities.

She said the 120km/h regional trains will use the existing network and connect cities like Pretoria, Johannesburg, Polokwane, Musina, Mbombela and Durban, with plans to build new 160-200km/h regional lines.

“These lines will shorten travel times, reduce travel costs, take pressure off our roads, and stimulate new development in towns along each route,” she said, adding that: “These regional projects are not possible without private sector partnership.”

Creecy said it is not possible to provide an estimate of the funding required for the high-speed regional trains because the feasibility study has not yet been completed.

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Timeline

She also said it is difficult to provide an estimated timeline for the development of high-speed regional rail, but that she was directly involved with the Gautrain and it took three years from the RFI process until financial close – and seven years from financial close to build it.

“It’s very important that we understand that building new railway lines is not an immediate issue but if you don’t start, you will never finish.”

She stressed that with the difficulties the fiscus has at this stage, it will not be possible to substantially increase the rail network without bringing in private sector investment – noting that there is no intention to privatise it.

Creecy believes the private sector investment will be in the form of either a concession or a build-operate-transfer (BOT) arrangement, with the intention that once the concession or BOT period came to an end, the infrastructure will revert to the state.

Other private sector opportunities 

The RFI for four other potential private-sector-participation opportunities cover a range of different areas, including:

• Smart ticketing for seamless travel;
• Upgrading Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) train depots for better reliability;
• Turning Prasa’s fibre optic network into an asset; and
• Leasing Prasa’s new “Blue trains”, building trains for the African continent, and repurposing the old yellow trains.

Creecy said the RFI process is an important milestone in the DoT’s collective journey to make rail the cornerstone of South Africa’s national transport and logistics system, but that this does not mean other parties don’t have a significant role to play in the transport system.

“Trucking in the freight sector and taxis in the passenger sector will always have a significant role to play.”

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Progress

She noted that by the end of May 2025 Prasa had successfully commissioned 35 of 40 passenger corridors and achieved an annual audited figure of 77 million passenger journeys.

“To continue on the recovery path, Prasa requires additional investment that cannot be carried by the fiscus alone,” she said.

“Participation in the RFI process will assist the organisation to gather information, innovative ideas, and solutions which will guide future requests for proposals [RFPs] for private sector investment in the passenger rail sector.”

Creecy stressed that the RFIs are not tenders but an invitation for the market to help design the future of rail.

She said the project announcements are for “the sole purpose of attracting the interest of the private sector to make these projects a reality”.

“Together, we can rebuild confidence in public transport, open up investment opportunities, and connect South Africans to the growth we all deserve.”

Tap-and-go ticketing

The ‘smart ticketing for seamless travel’ RFI relates to moving towards a single “tap-and-go ticket” that commuters can use across trains, buses, and even taxis.

It aims to eradicate queues and paper tickets using one account-based system that makes travel easier while helping the DoT to manage revenue transparently and efficiently.

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Maintenance depots

Another RFI involves a potential partnership with the private sector to modernise Prasa’s major maintenance depots at Braamfontein and Wolmerton, which “will mean faster train repairs, better reliability, and new investment in nearby areas – creating jobs and boosting local development”.

She said “private sector participation is of paramount importance given the magnitude of this project”.

Fibre optic network

Turning to the initiative to turn Prasa’s fibre optic network into an asset, Creecy said Prasa is rolling out thousands of kilometres of fibre-optic cable along SA’s railway lines as part of its new signalling system.

The department is opening the door “for private partners to help us turn that network into a source of income by offering broadband and digital services, while strengthening safety and real-time communication across the rail system”.

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Clear target

To guide the improvement of the passenger rail system, Creecy said the DoT has set a clear target of ensuring 600 million passenger journeys a year by 2030 (from the 77 million in the year to end May 2025).

“We are eager to partner with the private sector to realise this target, setting us on course to build a 21st Century transport system that transcends mobility challenges to strengthen industrial competitiveness, deepen regional integration and drive inclusive economic growth.”

RFI portal now open

She described the RFI process as “a critical step” in the private sector participation journey.

RFIs must be completed online, with the portal open for eight weeks from 26 October to 15 December 2025.

The portal can be accessed directly here as well as via the DoT and DBSA websites.

Interested and affected parties will be prompted to register their details before accessing the RFI analysis report.

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Groundwork to date

Creecy said her department concluded a Memorandum of Agreement with the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and National Treasury, appointing DBSA as the implementing agent on behalf of the DoT for the private sector participation (PSP) unit.

She said this unit is in the process of being capacitated ahead of commencing with the conceptualisation of bid windows and development RFPs.

The DoT launched the first phase of online RFIs to interested and affected parties in the Transnet rail and port freight logistics sector on 23 March.

She said this phase closed on 30 May, with 162 formal responses  received – including from 52 respondents from 12 external countries.

Transnet will issue the first RFPs before the end of 2025, and another three in the first half of 2026.

This article was republished from Moneyweb. Read the original here.