Surveillance cameras, sensors and drones are some of the measures being deployed along the critical Johannesburg-Durban rail corridor to fight criminal syndicates and cable thieves.
Millions of rand are being spent on rehabilitating the rail link, the busiest in South Africa, as Transnet seeks to get it operating at full capacity ahead of the December holidays.
Transnet’s CEO for rail infrastructure, Moshe Motlohi, said “key recovery works” now under way near Pinetown could more than double line capacity from 18 slots to 47.
Plans are afoot to ensure the corridor is fully restored to capacity for both freight and passenger rail services by 2030.
“Transnet is currently rolling out a comprehensive security recovery plan involving CCTV, motion sensors, drones, GPS tracking and increased personnel, supported by predictive analytics and law enforcement collaboration,” Motlohi said.
Transnet is currently rolling out a comprehensive security recovery plan involving CCTV, motion sensors, drones, GPS tracking and increased personnel, supported by predictive analytics and law enforcement collaboration.
He said Transnet was also deploying “vandal-resistant technologies such as heavy industrial electric cables, smart locks and anti-theft fencing, alongside a distributed acoustic sensing [DAS] pilot project in the western region”. The DAS system can alert Transnet to fractures in railway lines, among other things.
Repairs to the signal station at Ladysmith depot would entail service disruptions between November 18 and 27, Motlohi said.
Fixing the corridor was budgeted to cost R1.9bn this financial year — about R800m was needed for steady-state maintenance and R1.1bn to address backlogs.
“Additional funding is currently being pursued to meet backlog requirements,” he said.
This would include between R600m and R800m in “Global Gateway” grants from the EU and the French development agency AFD. Another grant application was being prepared for submission to the Treasury.
The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa now runs trains on the Johannesburg-Durban route only during peak travel periods such as Easter, and offers no regular daily or weekly long-distance service.
Prasa says its latest Johannesburg-Durban train ran early in September, and the journey took 26 hours.
When the Sunday Times undertook the trip in December 2023, it took 30 hours, with countless unplanned stops due to signal failures.
Prasa spokesperson Andiswa Makanda said service between the two cities was hobbled by the lack of reliable locomotives, the condition of the mainline network and constant cable theft.
“Prasa remains committed to delivering long-distance passenger rail services, and working with our sister company TRIM [Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager] on resolving some of the problems, including securing reliable locomotives,” Makanda said.
An announcement would be made “in due course” regarding the schedule for trains between Johannesburg and Durban, Cape Town and Musina, which are expected to begin running before the December holidays.
Prasa needs to put in place “security escorts along the route and on board the train, supported by SAPS, to ensure the safety of passengers”, Makanda said.
Transport specialist Vaughan Mostert, a former lecturer at the University of Johannesburg, said there was an urgent need to fix the “complete lack of integrated public transport”.
“By all means we can start with rail, but we must focus on the need to operate it as part of a co-ordinated network everywhere,” Mostert said.
“A recent example of high-level government disconnect is the announcement by transport minister Barbara Creecy that rail transport is working towards carrying 600-million commuter trips by 2030. That is simply not going to happen.
“Additional requirements include a proper exit strategy for the 40,000-odd minibus-taxis that will be displaced by the shift to rail.”
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