/ 11 September 2006

High-speed rail link ‘agreed in principle’

A high-speed train linking Johannesburg and Durban in under three hours has been ”agreed in principle” and was just waiting for approval, KwaZulu-Natal’s provincial transport head Dr Kwazi Mbanjwa said on Monday.

Speaking at the South African Road Federation Conference being held in Durban, Mbanjwa said the high-speed train was one of the projects being discussed as part of the National Rail Plan.

”We are waiting for approval. We should know by the end of October,” he said.

Mbanjwa and KwaZulu-Natal premier Sbu Ndebele were speaking at a press briefing after Ndebele had addressed delegates at the three-day conference, which is being hosted jointly by the South African Road Federation and the International Road Federation at Durban’s International Conference Centre.

Mbanjwa said that the cost of upgrading the existing the existing line between the two cities still had to be finalised.

”The plan is almost complete.” – Sapa