The proposed monorail link between Soweto and Johannesburg was ”not logical” and needed a concrete submission, Department of Transport director general Mpumi Mpofu said on Tuesday.
”What has been in the press doesn’t present itself as logical. We are not adverse to any innovative proposal but it needs to be dealt with properly,” she told the Africa Rail conference in Johannesburg.
Mpofu said she had yet to see a project proposal or a business case that would justify the investment.
For a monorail to be viable, it had to be integrated into existing infrastructure, be a mass mover, be car-competitive and operate efficiently.
The issue of Johannesburg’s proposed monorail would be dealt with at national and not provincial level.
Mpofu expressed disbelief at accounts of what the system would reportedly be capable of.
”I still can’t fathom how a 44km monorail with 39 stops can transport 1,5-million people in half-an-hour. I still can’t work it out.”
She said the Gautrain had sparked similar proposals in metropolitan areas such as Cape Town and Durban.
”We need a framework in which these proposals can be dealt with and approved.”
Prior to her remarks on the monorail, Mpofu read out a speech on behalf of Transport Minister Jeff Radebe, which focused mainly on the country’s national rail infrastructure.
Investment was needed to upgrade the rail system, and to reverse the decrease in freight volumes, Radebe said.
The cost of doing business in South Africa was among the highest in the world.
Road freight had grown because rail had failed to keep up with new production techniques and failed to operate a predictable and efficient service.
”The level of bulk freight being moved on our roads is quite clearly unsustainable and costing billions,” Radebe said in the prepared speech.
In the Northern Cape, he said, road surfaces had been reduced by about 50% and had only five years-worth of use left.
As part of efforts to encourage increased use of rail, policy directives were being finalised to ensure that certain hazardous materials and bulk goods would not be allowed on the country’s roads in future.
The government would not be able to provide the required levels of investment on its own, and partnerships between the private and public sectors needed to be explored, Radebe said. — Sapa