Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa chief executive officer Hishaam Emeran has called on the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) railway transport sector to invest in the development, upgrading and maintenance of rail infrastructure.
Emeran, speaking during his acceptance speech as the newly-elected president of the Southern African Railways Association (SARA), said the region needs to collaborate to confront logistics challenges.
“The introduction of modern rolling stock will boost efficiencies and help divert traffic from the roads. We need to collaborate to solve shared challenges because rail transport provides both an efficient and the most affordable mode of transport for passengers and goods,” he said.
Emeran said he would acquaint himself with the state of rail in the region by visiting as many of the member countries as possible to confront challenges facing the sector.
“With our collective commitment to making the railway industry the preferred means of transportation for goods, services, and people, we also acknowledge that the region’s railway transport sector has not been without challenges,” he added.
“The efficiencies of our rail networks have been compromised by inadequate, and in some cases obsolete and poorly maintained rail infrastructure and rolling stock,” he said.
He said the region is at the centre of efforts to promote trade and harness sustainable economic growth.
“We are at a critical point in our region’s history, at the intersection of opportunity and preparedness, and as SARA we have to be ready to play our role in supporting sustainable social and economic growth of our region by delivering robust rail services,” Emeran said.
SARA is an organisation that is dedicated to promoting and enhancing rail transport services across the SADC region. – SAnews.gov.za
