WE MUST start finding ways to deal more effectively with the historical crisis of under-funding in both rail and road infrastructure.
That was the message from Transport Minister Dullah Omar at Africa Rail 2001.
"The most critical impact has been felt in the rail network. Here we have seen a steep decline in the reliability of the ageing rolling stock fleet and the emergence of serious safety issues resulting from the poor condition and technical obsolescence of current signalling systems.
"The irony of this situation is that apart from being the most environmentally friendly mode of motorised public transport, rail is intrinsically much safer than road transport."
Omar said that government was looking for a mix of institutional and investment actions. On the institutional side he called for speedy action on the harmonisation and rationalisation of SADC cross-border transport and trade regulations, big improvements to existing border post management systems and attention to regulations currently governing train lengths. "With this they need to view road vehicle dimensions and revisit the issue of differential road user charges," he said.
On the investment and operational side, government must increasingly focus on joint ventures in road and rail infrastructure, find better ways of increasing back-haul volumes, and invest in both road and rail infrastructures, using a regional and continental corridor approach.
Dullah Omar ...
government must increasingly focus on joint ventures in road and rail infrastructure
