High speed rail could slow down freight

High-speed rail links built with
Chinese help may be good for
passengers, but could force even
more freight onto the road – as has
happened in the United States and
Europe.
FTW found this out after Chinese
Railway Minister Liu Zhijun and
South African Transport Minister
Sibusiso Ndebele announced the
signing of a rail co-operation
agreement during president Jacob
Zuma’s recent three-day visit to
China.
The Chinese have been quick
to get on track. Within days of the
signing of the agreement, China’s
biggest construction company,
China Railway Group, was in talks
about building railways in South
Africa – since South Africa could
be moving towards constructing the
first dedicated high-speed rail line in
sub-Saharan Africa.
Standard Bank, which is 20%
owned by the Industrial and
Commercial Bank of China,
subsequently confirmed it had signed
a memorandum of understanding
with China Railway to finance
projects in the country.
Zuma said in China that an
agreement to build a
US$30-bn high-speed line between
Johannesburg and Durban could be
among the projects envisaged.
Both The Economist and
Washington Post have warned
that the now booming freight rail
system in the United States would
be severely affected by high speed
trains running on the same tracks,
as the passenger trains would have
priority over freight.
There could be other unintended
consequences: The high speed rail
link between Durban and Gauteng
could also affect the viability of the
new King Shaka airport in Durban,
as it would compete directly with air.