Talks for integrated pan-African high-speed rail network under way
Talks to implement the vision of a modern, integrated high-speed train service traversing and criss-crossing Africa’s capitals and commercial centres have kicked off, as the African Union Commission (AUC) marked it among three flagship projects the organisation hoped to see come to fruition under the African agenda for the next 50 years.
AUC chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Thursday said discussions were under way to examine the opportunities and possibilities of developing a pan-African high-speed train service by 2063, by when the union hoped to have achieved 'The Africa We Want' targets set out under the African Union's Agenda 2063.
Speaking at the 2014 Mining Lekgotla, in Midrand, she indicated that, while details had not been cemented, the roll-out of the proposed project would be based on the model adapted by airline manufacturer Airbus, which sourced components from various countries in Europe.
Further, there were suggestions that the pan-African high-speed train service could be integrated with information and communication technologies, oil and gas pipelines and adjacent highways, as the agenda eyed the acceleration of connecting Africa and boosting intra-regional trade.
Dlamini-Zuma said there was a need to leapfrog staggered, stand-alone, “one-purpose” infrastructure developments.
While first-phase construction would require imported equipment, the medium- to longer-term view was to develop the capacity and skills to locally manufacture and produce the equipment needed.
The vision of a high-speed train service was one of three flagship programmes prioritised by the AUC’s African Agenda 2063. The others included establishing e-universities and completing the Inga hydropower project.
Comments
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation