Pretoria - Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele will approach Cabinet to approve the planned high-speed railway project for the Durban-Johannesburg route.
Last September, Ndebele announced this as part of the National Transport Master Plan (NATMAP) 2010-2050. His department planned to revitalise the commuter rail network between the two cities.
As far back as 2005, there was a planned high-speed rail for the Johannesburg to Durban, Johannesburg to Musina, and the Moloto Corridor between Tshwane and former KwaNdebele in Mpumalanga.
Ndebele said the time has now come for these projects to be rolled out.
Cabinet is yet to approve the Durban to Johannesburg high-speed rail project. Cabinet approval will then kick-start a process that includes a feasibility study on the viability of the Johannesburg to Durban rail link.
The plan for South Africa's first long-distance high-speed rail has triggered major local and international interest from countries such as France, Germany, China, the United States of America, Japan, Canada and South Korea.
The project is part of the department's plans to revitalise the rail industry in South Africa and to unlock the country's economic potential and create jobs in the process.
"We have also noted recent media reports indicating that Duduzane Zuma, the son of President Jacob Zuma, Lazarus Zim, the Gupta Brothers together with their Chinese partners, were in line to win the rights to construct Africa's first high-speed rail project.
"We wish to state that the Department of Transport will only call for Expressions of Interest on the Durban-Johannesburg High Speed Rail route in July 2011. Once received all Expressions of Interest will be subject to a strict evaluation process and the preferred and winning bidders will be announced only following an inclusive and transparent process," said Ndebele.
"As the first country in Africa likely to have such a project, we owe it to the people of this country and the continent that our green field long-distance high-speed rail sets high procurement, transparency technical and safety standards for the rest of Africa."
In June 2011, an International Investors' Conference will be hosted in Cape Town to consolidate the interests in infrastructure projects, including the Durban to Johannesburg High Speed Rail project.
"We call on all parties including the media to give the process an opportunity to guarantee its integrity and to safeguard the interests of government and the people of South Africa for whom this project will be constructed," said Ndebele.
