Rail green paper on its way

Although the green paper on
rail transport is now in the final
Cabinet process, it is still not
possible to put a firm date on
when the paper will be made
public, according to Jan-David de
Villiers, chief director of public
transport in the department of
transport (DoT).
“We obviously want to set a
time,” he told FTW, “but it’s a
very complex process getting the
paper passed through the Cabinet
and its various sub-committees.”
Another reason for the
complexity of the issue, he added,
was that it’s the first policy for
rail in the 150-year history of this
country.
“We can’t release it without
a political mandate,” said De
Villiers, “and we haven’t yet been
given the go-ahead.”
He did, however, point out that
the DoT planned to have a roundtable
discussion on October 24,
and that all pertinent stakeholders
would be invited.
When questioned about the
creation of a rail regulator, De
Villiers assured FTW that this
was included in the green paper.
“In the meantime,” he added, “we
are forming an interim regulatory
committee.”
He also confirmed that public/
private partnerships on rail
transport were also part of the
content of the green paper. “We
have defined the participation of
the private sector,” he said.
Once the green paper has been
discussed with all the relevant
parties and then published, De
Villers said that this would be
followed by a white paper that
would have to be approved by
Cabinet, and would ultimately
result in South Africa’s first
Rail Act.