South Africa to revamp transport infrastructure

South Africa is to invest over US$6.5 billion in the country’s transport infrastructure in a bid to reduce road deaths. Transport Minister Dipuo Peters said that commuter rail infrastructure, identified as the safest mode of transport, will receive the lion’s share of the allocation as her ministry pushes to shift passengers from cars to into railway stations. To achieve this target, Peters said US$5.1 billion will be spent on commuter rail infrastructure and new rolling stock over the next three years.
August 26, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

South Africa is to invest over US$6.5 billion in the country’s transport infrastructure in a bid to reduce road deaths.

Transport Minister Dipuo Peters said that commuter rail infrastructure, identified as the safest mode of transport, will receive the lion’s share of the allocation as her ministry pushes to shift passengers from cars to into railway stations. To achieve this target, Peters said US$5.1 billion will be spent on commuter rail infrastructure and new rolling stock over the next three years.

A further US$1.4 billion will be channelled towards bus subsidies in the 2014/15 financial year to encourage a shift from private cars to public transport such as rail cars, thereby reducing road traffic.

The programme will see a total of US$93 million spent during the 2014/15 financial year, and a further US$99 million in the 2015/16 financial year to upgrade the ageing road infrastructure to ensure quality and safer roads, the minister said.

Related Content

  • Public Private Partnerships to gather pace in the US
    April 29, 2015
    Public Private Partnerships are set to play a big role in transportation funding as Andrew Bardin Williams discovers. The old joke goes that the road from New York to Chicago is paved with potholes. For decades, drivers from New York and New Jersey traveling across Pennsylvania to visit the Midwest have lambasted the Commonwealth’s roadways for their lack of smooth pavement.
    Read More
  • IRF presents road safety award to Korea Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
    May 15, 2017
    The International Road Federation has awarded its annual road safety accolade, the Find a Way Award, to the Korea Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The Find a Way Award was instituted as part of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 by IRF chairman Abdullah Al-Mogbel in recognition of the value of political leadership in driving road traffic injury reduction strategies. Korea has implemented a range of road safety measures, including the use of safety belts for all seat
    Read More
  • Canadian transport ministers plead for cash
    June 9, 2020
    Some cities have stopped charging for transit trips during the pandemic
    Read More
  • Half of passengers ‘would pay for better technology’
    August 2, 2013
    David Crawford considers the finding of a passenger attitude survey in nine cities worldwide. Three quarters of regular users of public transport in nine capital and other major cities worldwide believe that electronic ticketing would make travel easier; while an overwhelming 92% would welcome paperless travel in any form, according to a recent consumer survey from global management consultants Accenture. Of the 4,500 urban travellers aged over-18 who were quizzed, some 90% routinely used public transport.
    Read More

Highlighted Content