Business

R9.3bn Moloto rail link on the cards

7 July 2009

The government is planning a R9.3-billion, 140-kilometre commuter rail line along the increasingly busy Moloto corridor between Pretoria and Siyabuswa in Mpumalanga province, Business Report said on Monday.

The newspaper quoted Department of Transport spokesman Sam Monareng as saying the money would be spent to provide "a faster, safer, cheaper service with bigger capacity for commuters" in order to enhance economic development along the Moloto corridor.

The 140km line was intended to ease bottlenecks for workers in the Tshwane metropolitan areas who used buses and taxis on the Moloto route.

"The route connects rural communities in the western regions of Mpumalanga and the Nkangala and Sekhukhune districts of Limpopo province," the newspaper said.

The project was approved in March last year by the Cabinet following a feasibility study.

"The bus system appears to have reached its capacity and is no longer cost-effective," Monareng told Business Report. "The rail mode, combined with road feeder services, has the potential of being more cost-effective and accommodating future passenger volume increases suitably."

Over 800 jobs would be created during construction of the rail link. It would generate 600 permanent jobs, and about 8 200 indirect jobs would be created at the development nodes along the corridor, the newspaper added.

The rail line would be the first phase of the Moloto corridor, as a second phase would link Siyabuswa to Sekhukhune in Limpopo and Burgersfort in Mpumalanga.

However, Monareng said the second phase was not under consideration at present.

Sapa