Report of the Portfolio Committee on Transport on a Study Tour to China from 17 to 30 July 2010 dated 31 August 2010.

The Portfolio Committee on Transport, having undertaken a study tour to China on 17th to 30th July 2010 reports as follows:

1.       Introduction

The Portfolio Committee on Transport embarked on a fact finding mission to China to establish how the government of China responds to challenges of transport and the use of transport transformation processes to address social problems and improve the economic conditions of China.

 

The committee used the report on the National Household Travel Survey on Public Transport and the National Transport Master Plan as guiding documents for engaging with the Chinese government departments and State owned companies that make up the transportation industry in China.

 

A multi-party delegation of seven members took part in the visit to China:

 

a)       Hon. Ruth Bhengu, leader of the delegation (ANC);

b)       Hon. Phumzile Ngwenya-Mabila (ANC);

c)       Hon. Joyce Ngele (ANC);

d)       Hon. Peter Maluleka (ANC);

e)       Hon. M. De Frietas (DA);

f)         Hon. P. Mbhele (COPE);

g)       Hon. Lucas (IFP)

Accompanying the committee was the committee secretary Miss Dineo Martin and the Deputy Director General Dr. L Situma, who is spear-heading the development of the National Transport Master Plan (NATMAP) of the Department of Transport.

The delegation focused mainly on challenges that were raised in the National Household Survey on Public Transport as well as challenges that inform the National Transport Master Plan, including; 

a)     The high costs of travelling and transporting of  goods;

b)     The long time taken in  travelling a short distance;

c)      The lack of integration of different modes of transport;

d)     The unsafe and unreliable  transport services;

e)      The high level of congestion on South African roads;

f)        The congestion of traffic in big cities;

g)     The degraded road and rail network;

h)      The degraded rolling stock;

 

The study tour was also aimed at learning how the Chinese government uses the transportation industry to develop China socially and economically.

 

2.       The delegation visited specific government departments and state owned companies that make up the railway transportation industry. The South African Embassy in Beijing and the South African Consulate in Shanghai co-ordinated the programme and facilitated all visits of the delegation to government departments, state-owned companies and a university that plays a central role in science and technological skills required to develop the transportation industry in China.

 

Hereunder is a list of entities visited by the delegation:

Beijing

a)       Beijing maintenance depot;

b)       Shanhaiguan manufacturing workshop for high speed railway turnout and major bridge steel structures;

c)       Qinhaungdao offloading terminal of Jinqin Coal Railway;

d)       Tangshan Railway Locomotive Factory;

e)       The Badaling Great Wall via the Badaling Express Way.

 

Shanghai

a)       Shanghai 2010 Expo;

b)       Maglev Transportation Development Company Limited;

c)       Taking High Speed trains;

d)       Maglev train;

e)       Tongi University.

 

3.       The Ministry for Railways

His Excellency, Mr Wang Zhiguo, the Vice-Minister of Railways started by congratulating South Africa on the successful hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He commented that South Africa was a well developed country in Africa and acknowledged the technology he saw when visiting South Africa.

 

He outlined that the Ministry of Railways is in charge of Railway Cooperation and Governance. The following departments fall under the Ministry of Railways:

a)       Department of Planning;

b)       Department of Technology;

c)       Department of Safety;

d)       Department of Bureau;

 

There are eighteen Bureaus responsible for the entire Railway Transportation Industry. These Bureaus operate everyday.

 

3.1.             High Speed Rail

The Chinese government takes pride in the construction and development of rail in China. There is a plan to develop railway construction to reach more than 90 000km in two years. The main aspects of this plan concern high speed railway and freight transportation.

 

The high speed passenger train travels at a maximum speed of 350km/h makes passengers feel safe and is convenient for them to reach their destinations.

 

All high speed trains are on standard gauge and by 2015 the narrow gauge will be completely phased out.

 

There are a lot of rail projects that are still under construction, such as; the 1061km rail link from Beijing to Shanghai that will start operating in 2011. Another link is Beijing to Huanguan which will also start operating in 2011.

 

China started with the rehabilitation of existing railway lines that were mostly over hundred years old. The process of increasing the speed of trains in China began 30 years ago, after the Chinese government adopted a policy of “opening up”. It is the implementation of this policy that gave rise to the economy of China.

 

Some trains travelled at 120km/h before the rehabilitation of existing railway lines. After the rehabilitation they travel between 160-250km/h and are regarded as fast trains.

 

China has been in cooperation with other countries including the USA and Asia on high speed rail technologies. It now has agreements with many other countries, although all the technologies used are Chinese.

 

3.2.             Freight Traffic

Heavy haul freight transportation; 10 000-20 000 tons are transported daily by roads while 1, 2-million tons of freight are transported daily by train. Rail lines allow 400-million tons annually.  80% of coal is transported by rail. In 2009 2, 3-billion tons of freight was transported while in 2010 2, 6-billion has already been transported to date.

 

China covers a large territory and is densely populated; as a result rail is the most convenient mode of transport. 1, 6-million people are transported daily. These trains, which are energy and environmentally friendly, are regarded as the best in the world.

 

3.3.             Challenges

a)       Having to work day after day and night after night;

b)       Too much freight and people to be transported;

c)       Mass work accommodating ⅓ while ⅔ had to be rejected; 140 000 trains in operation, 10-million freight a day, 6-million people to be transported daily, 1000-billion tons of coal to be delivered annually including transportation of minerals;

d)       No capacity to transport by road;

e)       When the demand is more than rail can take then road is an option;

f)         Construction of rail in humid and hot coastal areas.

 

4.       The Ministry of Transport

The Vice Minister of Transport reported that the Chinese transport sector experienced bottlenecking and congestion by 2008. The budget was inefficiently used at that time. The current developments are as a result of good systems and policies that had been put in place. In 2009, 60 000km of expressway and highways were developed. From then on, the total volume of cargo in mainland ports were ranked number one in the world.

 

Such achievements were because of good planning and the “open policies” that were adopted by the Chinese government.

China has a Transport Master Plan that is currently being implemented. The Central government has introduced certain taxes to be paid by all. Funding is done by government, public enterprises and the World Bank.

 

All expressways are tolled. There are positive results borne out of toll roads. In future only expressways will be tolled and not provincial and local roads. China’s integrated transport system is to make available easily accessed public transport and corridors. People are encouraged to use public transport.

 

5.       China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC)

The CRCC is involved in design, construction and maintenance. They deal with the work of planning and design.

 

The CRCC has designed 53% of China’s railway lines and has acquired all technologies for high speed rail. They are the champions of all construction groups in China. They are ranked 132 out of the Fortune 500 Companies. They are ranked number one in engineering globally. They are involved internationally in 41 countries with 191 projects. They are currently involved in projects in Africa, some include:

a)       Algeria – ongoing project 1000km

b)       Libya – ongoing project over 2000km

c)       Nigeria – Survey and design in railway

 

Their turnover in 2009 was $51 billion with a staff turnover of 250 000. The most critical works in China are done by the CRCC.

 

6.       China Railway Group Limited (CRGL)

The CRGL is responsible for construction, contracting, machinery and engineering. They have a personnel complement of 280 000 responsible for construction, contracting and machinery of which 160 000 who are engineers.

 

They are specialists in innovation advancements from slow speed to high speed rail. Real estate development is an extension of what they do.

 

7.       Financial Economic Committee of the People’s Congress

China’s economy has grown rapidly in the past year. The Committee acknowledged the fact that the South African GDP is $600 while China is $2 600. China believes they can learn a lot from South Africa.

 

China’s rapid growth in development is not free from criticism. Critics believe that China is investing too much on high speed while the returns are low. Debates are still ongoing.

 

Different modes of transportation are integrated though they belong to different ministries. They have seen growth in improvement of transportation and it is regarded as the safest in the entire world. The intra-relationships of government ministries are very good and their systems talk to each other. A law was passed on transportation safety to reduce technicalities and fatalities on the roads.

 

8.       Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport (BMCT)

It is an administrative organization that takes charge of the management of the traffic and transportation industry in Beijing.

Its role includes the following:

8.1.             Action and implementation of the laws, codes and regulations related to the transportation industry promulgated by the State and the city;

8.2.             Take charge of studying and drafting out the annual plan of the transportation industry in Beijing, and organizing implementation;

8.3.             Take charge of organizing and drafting out the local technical standards and operation service codes in the transportation industry in Beijing, and organizing implementation;

8.4.             Take charge of the industry administration of the transportation in Beijing;

8.5.             Take charge of the supervision and administration of the safe production in the transportation industry in Beijing, collaborate with relevant departments to investigate and deal with safety in the transportation industry, and the water safety supervision and administration;

8.6.             Take charge of the transportation organization and security on emergency;

8.7.             Take charge of the organization and coordination of the transportation in Beijing and the administration of the common use of the railway special lines, and joint transportation between roads and railways;

8.8.             Take charge of the of administrative in the transportation industry;

8.9.             Take charge of the administration of public parking facilities in Beijing;

8.10.          Handle other issues delivered by the municipal government and municipal commission of communications.

9.       Organisation of Public Transport Network

Its aims are the following:

a)       Bus travel speed increased with dedicated lanes;

b)       Low taxi prices for the public transportation system with integrated ticketing. Students get 80% discount, the public gets a 40% discount and the elderly ride for free;

c)       Accelerated upgrading of existing vehicles;

d)       The promotion of the development of rail systems;

e)       Formulation of subsystems. RMB 270-billion has been allocated by the government;

f)         The reformation of the reform of subway systems in terms of security;

g)       Integrated ticketing systems;

 

 

9.1.             Infrastructure construction to promote services

a)       In 2008 the Beijing government upgraded taxis.

b)       Taxi drivers’ rights were improved

c)       Relations between taxis and government were improved.

d)       A socio-economic system for taxi drivers has been introduced.

The Chinese government remains committed to promoting a public transport culture. Integration of public transport in the cities is highly regarded and the government is committed to reach 45% of the population by 2015.

 

9.2.             Public transport systems

Total allocation for public transport is RMB 150- million. This amount has already surpassed taking into consideration security, costs and capacity to integrate the rail infrastructure system. By the end of 2010, five new subways will be open to the public.

 

The following are China’s Transportation Departments:

a)       Traffic and Transport – major roads and construction, transportation of cargo and goods;

b)       Hub and Ports Administration;

c)       Railway Department – railway maintenance;

d)       Public Security – management of vehicles, traffic, lights;

e)       BMCT is in charge of strategic planning transport systems;

f)         The Department of Transport is in charge of leasing of public transportation systems;

g)       Traffic Law Enforcement.

 

Vehicle inventory is very difficult to determine in Beijing, especially in the inner city. This poses a major problem especially after Beijing had been declared an International City. Authorities have therefore realised that the development of public transport system is the only solution.

 

10.   Shanghai Municipal Transport and Port Authority

The City of Shanghai is a cosmopolitan city with a population of 20-million. The City is regarded as an international Shopping Centre and therefore all development is being done taking that into consideration. It also has Executive Administration Authority over public transportation; taxis, subways, car parking, freight and cargo transport as well as shipping.

 

Millions of people come to Shanghai adding to the existing population of the City; therefore public transport has to be enhanced. The City transports 15-million passengers daily. The number has risen to 16, 4-million with the Shanghai Expo currently being held. Subways are estimated to transport 5, 2-million people daily while buses transport 7, 8-million daily. Buses are regarded as a main transport mode; taxis supplement them while subways are regarded as the backbone of public transport.

 

Shanghai experiences great congestion on major roads of the City. Despite government interventions, problems still exist.

 

The City embarked on a curbing mechanism where supporting infrastructure connecting various modes of transport was developed; seven stations were constructed, a hub station for the airport, taxis and buses for local and longs distances as well as a subway. This makes life easier for the community to access different kinds of transport at one spot. Subway operating hours run parallel with airport and train station hours. In cases of delayed flights the Municipality puts temporary measures in place.

 

10.1.          Sea Port

The Shanghai Port is regarded as one of the largest ports in the world; it is a hundred years old. It is also regarded as an international shipping centre. It has experienced an increase in cargo in the last ten years. In 2010 there was an increase in cargo despite the economic recession. In the beginning of 2010, 320-million tons of cargo was carried, this is an increase of 15% while containers experienced a load of 13, 8- million which means a 19% increase. The distribution systems used are road, water and rail. 

 

60% of cargo use smaller vessels, while 40% seldom use rail to transport cargo. In future they plan to use water as it is also regarded as environmental and energy friendly. Rivers will be used to transport vessels to other cities and that will reduce traffic congestion.

 

Although the City has similar situations to South Africa, some solutions may not work in South Africa.

 

With regard to parking in the city, there is limited parking space. Some companies have their own parking spaces. People working in the city prefer to use public transport while others use the park and ride facilities outside the cities.

 

11.    China Railway Signal and Communication Shanghai Engineering Company  (CRSCS)

The company was established in 1954 and it is responsible for technical services. They plan to build 35 high speed routes by 2012.

 

They have researched the South African situation and found that SA does not have to suspend railway operations while working on the improvements, should they be contracted to do the work.

 

12.   Maglev Transportation Development Company Limited

The Maglev train system is a 20th century invention. It is a new type of non-track bound transport system which is high speed, comfortable, energy saving and environmentally friendly. It has no wheels, transmissions or overhead wires. The wheels and rails of the railroad are replaced by a non-contact, electro-magnetic levitation, guidance and propulsion system. The Construction of the Shanghai Maglev Demonstration Operation Line started in March 2001.

 

The line begins at Longyang Road Station in the west and ends at Pudong International Airport station in the east. The total length of the main track is 30 km and is a double track turn around operation. It has two stations, two propulsion substations, one operation control centre and one maintenance centre.

 

The designed maximum speed is 430km/h. The time of a one way trip is about eight minutes. As the first commercial operation line for the Maglev train, the Shanghai line greatly improves the transport conditions from downtown to Pudong International Airport and is an additional bright landscape to the modern metropolis.

 

12.1.          System characteristics

a)       It operates up to 400-500 km/h.

b)       The non-contact and non-wearing levitation, guidance and propulsion technology is independent of friction.

c)       High acceleration and braking power.

d)       No contact with a track and the stepless speed control makes a ride steady and comfortable.

e)       With no danger of derailment and collision means the train runs at a constant speed.

f)         There are no combustion emissions or other pollutants both inside the vehicle and along the routes.

g)       The magnetic field in the vehicle or outside is comparable to the earth’ residual magnetic field, far less than a hair dryer.

h)       There is energy consumption and low operating costs.

i)         There is a flexible route alignment of the guideway due to a small curve radii and high grade climbing ability (10%).

j)         Minimal land is used for this rail link.

 

13.   Tongji University

There is a Transport Faculty within this University with the following departments; Road Transport, Rail, Airport Engineering and Logistics Engineering. The university has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tshwane University of Technology. The university has scholarship programmes that they offer to South African students, which covers tuition only.        

 

14. Committee findings

14.1.          Planning for transport development happens at national level, they have a 2020 master plan.

14.2.          An investment in transport development is more informed by social needs and happens even if there is no economic costs recovery.

14.3.          The Chinese government positions transport as an enabling tool for economic development.

14.4.          Rail transportation is the backbone of transport, other modes of transport complement rail.

14.5.          The Chinese government developed the entire value chain of the railway transportation industry including science and technological training, planning and design, equipment manufacturing, rail infrastructure development, manufacturing and assembling plants, signalling and control systems, servicing and maintenance of trains; each train is cleaned after each trip. Railway lines are integrated to other modes of transport such as road, aviation and shipping.

14.6.          China started by focusing on skills development and partnered with developed countries where they learnt relevant skills for transport development, for that led to the establishment of a faculty at university level focussing on transport studies.

14.7.          There is a dedicated bureau for training all employees for specific fields.

14.8.          The Chinese transport situation was similar to the one in South Africa in terms of challenges 30 years ago

14.9.          China adopted two approaches;

a)       Rehabilitation and upgrading of existing railway lines to increase the speed of trains from 80 km/h to 200km/h;

b)       Building new railway lines suitable for introducing fast trains and high speed trains. A fast train is a train that travels at a speed of 100-250km/h while a high speed train is one that travels between 250-350km/h. A bullet train is one that travels between 350-430km/h.

14.10.      The system of developing the whole industry created a lot of jobs.

14.11.       High speed trains are serviced every 48hrs and 5000km travelled.

14.12.       High speed trains connect major cities of all provinces to each other.

14.13.       Fast trains link cities within provinces.

14.14.       High speed trains move passengers from city centres to airports reducing travelling time; e.g 30 km in 7 minutes, the benefit of this is that space in airports is utilised to park planes. Traffic congestion between airports and the city is reduced. People travelling in private cars utilise the park and ride facilities near the train stations as was the case in SA during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

14.15.       In cities, subways are built to integrate rail and road transportation.

14.16.       Railway lines are also linked to shipping ports to facilitate easy transportation of goods between land and water.

14.17.       Railway sleepers for trains are made of concrete slabs and cables are made of micro- fibre.

14.18.       Railway tracks for fast and high speed trains are made of steel, iron ore, manganese and concrete slippers.

14.19.       The Chinese have moved away from the use of copper cabling due to challenges similar to those in South Africa.

14.20.       It is advisable to build new railway coaches than to rehabilitate as the latter is short term.

 

15.       Social and Economic development imperatives relating to transport Development

The Portfolio Committee on Transport looked at the social and economic conditions China was previously at and how the Chinese reform model relates social and economical conditions in South Africa that we seek to address.

 

The Portfolio Committee on Transport identified that there are common social and economic conditions between South Africa and China which include the following;

15.1.          The rural areas of both countries are poorer than the urban areas and the Chinese model of developing the entire value chain of railway transportation serves to attract economic investment to the rural under-developed poor areas. An example of that strategic approach is the location of a manufacturing plant of high speed trains at an under-developed semi rural area that is more than three hours drive from Beijing.

 

15.2.          The transport infrastructural development in rural areas is central to the economic development strategies of China. China has invested in transport infrastructural development as an enabling tool for attracting investment to rural areas. A similar situation exist in South Africa where  thirteen  areas identified as Presidential Poverty Nodal Points have failed to attract meaningful economic investment partly due to poor transport infrastructure that would link these under-developed areas to developed cities.

 

15.3.          The majority of the population in China and South Africa are poor and therefore dependent on public transport. China has chosen railway transport as the back-bone of transport because railway transport is cheaper than all other mode of transport. The cost of travelling in South Africa is high for both public transport commuters and people who use their own private transport. If railway transport is cheaper than other modes then South Africa has to emulate the model of China and reduce the cost of travelling in South Africa.

 

15.4.          There are substantial number of cities and villages that are not efficiently linked to each other in China. This restricts the movement of goods and people in-between cities and villages. China has prioritised the linkage of Major cities in all provinces through high speed trains that travel at a maximum speed of 350km per hour. However, there are critical cities that are connected to villages through fast trains that travel at a maximum speed of 200kms per hour. Village to village connection is through buses and taxis. South Africa has similar conditions and we should use Chinese experience to respond to our conditions.

 

15.5.          The population size of China is huge and requires the mode of transport that is able to transport high volumes of goods and people faster. A similar need exist in South Africa where huge volumes of poor public transport commuters are found in taxi ranks and bus ranks. Such commuters are forced to sleep at these ranks. Therefore high speed trains in South Africa would transport high volumes of commuters’ in-between major cities as well as routes that connect South Africa to neighbouring states.

 

15.6.          There is high traffic congestion on roads in South Africa. China has reduced traffic congestion on their roads by developing the park and ride sites similar to those that were established in South Africa by the host cities of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World cup. These park and ride sites are used in China to park privately owned cars and taxis used by commuters who use such cars and taxis to get to Fast Trains that are used on daily basis, by mainly workers travelling to and from work in between cities.  South Africa could emulate this approach and developing the park and ride sites next to train stations.  This approach would be aimed at discouraging the daily use of private cars along train routes thereby reducing traffic congestion on South African roads.

 

15.7.          The majority of goods are transported through roads in South Africa a situation that China reduced by developing an effective railway goods transportation system. The road infrastructure is degrading fast in South Africa with visibly huge potholes and high accident claims.   China was able to arrest this situation by improving the speed of the goods trains as well as the tolling of roads.

 

15.8.          The movement of goods on the roads is restricted to off-peak hours. This system links the railway network to ports and its shipping facilities and container terminals. China rehabilitated and upgraded railway infrastructure to increase the speed from 60km per hour to between 100km and 160km per hour. This resulted with a shift from road use to train use when transporting goods. Transport modes and networks in China were previously not interlinked.

 

15.9.          Thirty years ago, China had a shortage of science and technology skills required to develop the transport industry, South Africa is faced with that same challenge today.

 

16. Proposals by the Chinese

16.1.          The CRCC proposed signing a strategic partnership agreement with the Department of Transport to plan and strategise on the Department’s 2050 Plan.

16.2.          The CRCC is also willing to contribute and share their experiences with South Africa to develop rail.

16.3.          The CRGL is willing to have the exchange programme with South Africa which is aimed at skills development.

16.4.          China is willing to cooperate with South Africa with regard to construction of transport projects.

16.5.          The Chinese government and state owned companies met by the delegation proposed that a Memorandum of Understanding be signed so as to formalise the interaction between the two countries.

16.6.          The Chinese are willing to establish cooperation with ports, such as the Port of Durban.

16.7.          The CRSCS is willing to offer South Africa free training on the upgrading of existing rails signalisation.

16.8.          The Chinese observed that out of the RMB200 million made available to South Africa for bursaries only RMB30 million has been utilised, therefore adviced that South Africa consider utilising the remaining RMB170 million to develop skills required for transport development in South Africa.

 

17.        Positive assumptions

The benefits of introducing high speed trains and adopting railway transportation as the back bone of the South African transport system is much broader than just transport services. There would be far-reaching social and economic benefits that include;

17.1.          Reduced levels of mushrooming of informal settlements due to reduced costs of travelling to and from work.

17.2.          Family units would not be disturbed as is the case where working members of families live closer to places of work away from their families.

17.3.          There would be reduced queues of commuters at buses and taxi ranks.

17.4.          There would be a reduced level of road accidents, degradation of our secondary road networks, and traffic congestion as a result of reduced transportation of goods by road.

17.5.          Different transport systems and modes would be integrated resulting in seamless travelling for commuters from one mode of transport to the other.

17.6.          Commuters would be able to budget time and travelling costs.

17.7.          There would be a reduced burden on the budgets of the Health and Human Settlement Departments that are currently negatively impacted upon by the inadequate services of the department of Transport and Transnet’s transport-related services.

17.8.          There would be increased investment in South Africa.

17.9.          The investment opportunities in rural areas would increase.

17.10.      The development and resuscitation of existing branch lines of the rail system would open job opportunities in South Africa.

17.11.      South Africa would further the NEPAD objectives and position itself as the gateway for investment in Africa.

17.12.      There would be reduced levels of carbon emission due to reduced levels of private cars. Rail uses electricity instead of diesel.

 

18.       Conclusion

The development of the rail industry would generate economic investment and be a tool for social development in South Africa.

 

The rail technology used in China needs to be analysed on a sound economic model that is sustainable suitable for South African conditions where rail would be used for the transportation of both goods and passengers.

 

The Portfolio Committee on Transport will follow up on recommendations made by the Chinese government in relation to further exposure and participation of the committee in workshops and conferences where issues of rail transport are discussed. This would help in broadening the knowledge of the committee on international trends and debates that are taking place regarding transport.  The Chinese government and State owned companies have offered to sponsor some of the workshops and conferences that would benefit South Africa and help build the capacity of the Department of Transport.

 

19.       Recommendations

The Portfolio Committee on Transport hereby recommends as follows that:

19.1.          The Department of Transport considers the Chinese model, taking South African conditions into account.

 

19.2.          South Africa accepts the Chinese high speed rail technology to be amongst the proven state of the art worldwide. It must be noted that the Chinese technology is now patented and can only be accessed in China.

 

19.3.          The offer made by the China Railway Construction Corporation regarding their technical assistance in fine tuning our National Transport Master Plan be followed through on by the Minister of Transport.

 

19.4.          The South African government takes advantage of being viewed by China as a gateway for investment in Africa on transport development especially the SADC Region.

 

19.5.          The structural arrangement that exist in South Africa where Transnet falls under the department of Public Enterprises yet performing transport related services be reviewed. Transnet should fall under the department of transport so as to streamline transport services, reduce duplication and contradictions in planning and prioritisation of transport services. The proposed structural change would also address the ongoing conflict that exists between PRASA and Transnet which has a huge negative impact on railway commuters. The current structural arrangement makes Transnet both the referee and a player which has a negative impact on planning and the homogeneous coordination of transport infrastructure development and provision of rail services in South Africa.

 

19.6.          The South African government should adopt rail as backbone of freight and commuter transport systems in South Africa with all other modes of transport complimenting rail.

 

19.7.          South Africa moves away from the rehabilitation of old rolling stock and begin with a process of investing in new and modern locomotives and coaches as a means of reducing time and cost of travel.

 

19.8.          South Africa should adopt an approach of rehabilitating and upgrading the existing rail infrastructure to accommodate new technologies where appropriate.

 

19.9.          South Africa should follow up on the skills development programmes offered by the Chinese government to the South African government particularly to link universities in South Africa and those in China with a view of developing the required expertise in science and technology with a specific focus on transport development.

 

19.10.      South Africa should review the public transport subsidy in line with the Chinese model

 

19.11.      South African government quest for social economic development be central to the planning, development and provision of transportation in all modes.

 

20.       The Portfolio Committee on Transport recommends that the House adopts this report and approve recommendations contained herein.

 

 

Report to be considered