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South Africa: Trains of Thought
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Business Day (Johannesburg)
EDITORIAL
22 May 2008
Posted to the web 22 May 2008
Johannesburg
UPGRADING SA's inadequate public transport system should be a policy priority. Whether that means spending as much as R36bn on 8100 new railway coaches is another matter.
Transport Minister Jeff Radebe told Parliament this week that he planned in coming weeks to present to the cabinet plans to replace Metrorail's fleet of passenger trains. The average age profile of the fleet is 40 years and though the South African Rail Commuter Corporation (SARCC), which houses Metrorail and long-distance operator Shosholoza Meyl, is already spending R2bn to refurbish 700 coaches this year, Radebe said it was urgent new trains be bought. He didn't put numbers to this, but SARCC has said it wants to buy 540 coaches a year over the next 15 years for about R36bn.
This does seem rather ambitious, not to mention expensive. The Metrorail fleet numbers only 4600 coaches, so the recap plan would almost triple its size, assuming many of the old coaches could be refurbished and kept in service. Presumably the plan is also to upgrade and extend the rail network to carry all these services, so that's a few more billion. Radebe noted this week that the government had increased funding for passenger rail transport services to R18bn over the next three years. But clearly what he has in mind will cost much more. And though there is talk of a public-private partnership, it's not clear how this might work and what it might mean for the fares commuters would pay.
There is a strong case for the state to invest in upgrading and extending SA's public transport system. A better system would make life a lot easier for lower income earners and would make the economy more productive as workers could get to work more efficiently. It would help take pressure off the road system and make cities more workable. But there are many ways to provide public transport, and if we are to spend tens of billions on new coaches, instead of on cheaper buses or taxis, Radebe must show that this is the best possible option for SA.
Ambitious its not,expensive it is.
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