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Transport News

Busmark, HySA and partners to roll out first homegrown hydrogen fuel cell bus

By: Irma Venter 11th July 2019 The first South African developed hydrogen fuel cell bus is set to find a home with a local bus fleet, as soon as trial testing has been completed. The bus was developed in partnership with Busmark, a number of universities, government departments, the Council for Scientific and Industrial... →

South African ports ‘need to evolve’ – specialist

By: Simone Liedtke 11th July 2019 South Africa’s ports will need to evolve into a more entrepreneurial ports system, instead of being facilitators of trade, in order to continue trading in a world often characterised as volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous, Transnet National Ports Authority logistics supply chain specialist... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Dylan Slater
Transnet National Ports Authority logistics supply chain specialist Lwandile Mabuza

Port operators’ 4IR strategies must have skills development focus

By: Simone Liedtke 11th July 2019 African port operators need to formulate Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) strategies and should take into account the skills readiness and the skills development required to adjust and adapt accordingly, Transnet National Ports Authority research and development senior specialist Thamsanqa Basi... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Dylan Slater
Transnet National Ports Authority research and development senior specialist Thamsanqa Basi

TNPA calls for improved maritime transportation infrastructure systems

By: Simone Liedtke 11th July 2019 With over 90% of global trade volumes being seaborne and moving through ports, Transnet National Ports Authority’s (TNPA’s) Kana Mutombo has highlighted the growing need for improved maritime transportation infrastructure systems globally and in South Africa. As a result of global population... →

Researcher says roads still enable social segregation

By: Marleny Arnoldi 11th July 2019 Department of Transport (DoT) researcher Oscar Thobela says South Africa’s road network remains an enabler for social segregation, despite the end of the Apartheid more than 25 years ago. Speaking at the Southern African Transport Conference this week, he stated that transport was more... →

Longest Production Train in the World

11th July 2019 In an unprecedented move, Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) successfully ran a 375 wagon manganese train. The testing of the train took place on Wednesday, 05 September 2018 over a distance of around 861 km, from Sishen to Saldanha. The test train is four (4) kilometres long and will be a production... →

Proflight Zambia announces plans for new service between Ndola and Johannesburg

By: African News Agency 11th July 2019 Proflight Zambia on Thursday announced plans for a new scheduled route between Ndola and Johannesburg, a move it said would boost trade and investment between the two cities. The new service, expected to begin on September 2, will link the Copperbelt mining and industry hub with South Africa’s... →

Iata meets with Zimbabwean government over blocked airline revenues

By: Rebecca Campbell 10th July 2019 A delegation from the International Air Transport Association (Iata) led by its director-general Alexandre de Juniac, met with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and other high-ranking government officials on Tuesday to discuss major issues concerning the airline industry and Zimbabwe, and... →

Zimbabwean flag

Airbus’ latest airliner continues to stack up orders

By: Rebecca Campbell 10th July 2019 From its launch at the Paris Air Show in mid-June to the end of that month, Europe-based global major aerospace group Airbus’ latest airliner, the A321XLR, has been ordered or selected by 14 airlines and one leasing company, with firm orders totalling 44 aircraft. Letters of intent cover another... →

After-hours freight delivery could help reduce traffic congestion

By: Simone Liedtke 9th July 2019 Reducing the number of freight delivery vehicles operating in urban areas during daytime and peak traffic hours can reduce traffic congestion, delivery costs and carbon emissions, a study has determined. During a presentation at the Southern African Transport Conference, on Tuesday, University of... →

Durban rail corridor to benefit most from addition of standard gauge track

By: Irma Venter 9th July 2019 The freight corridor between Durban and Gauteng would benefit most from a standard gauge railway track being constructed next to the current narrow gauge track. The addition of the line would aid in the transport of mainly double-stacked containers, as well as various other commodities. →

'E-tolls cannot be resurrected' – Outa

By: African News Agency 9th July 2019 The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse says it is willing to help government resolve the e-tolls impasse following a social media spat between Finance Minister Tito Mboweni and Gauteng Premier David Makhura over the province's decision to reject e-tolls. Outa said government could have used the fuel... →

Think-tank attacks State-owned regional airline for 'showing contempt for the law'

By: Rebecca Campbell 9th July 2019 The Free Market Foundation (FMF) think-tank has accused State-owned regional airline SA Express (SAX) of breaking the law by not responding to a request for information under the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA). The FMF made a PAIA request to SAX on May 31 regarding the troubled... →

Photo by SA Express
A Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet in SA Express colours

UCT researchers say road maintenance backlog exceeds R400bn

By: Marleny Arnoldi 8th July 2019 The cost of South Africa’s road maintenance backlog is nearing R417-billion, research undertaken by the University of Cape Town’s School of Economics academics Don Ross and Matthew Townshend have found. This is more than double the amount set out in the South African National Roads Agency’s... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Dylan Slater
UCT researcher Matthew Townshend

Conference presentations tackle spatial development, transport planning issues

By: Simone Liedtke 8th July 2019 University of Johannesburg Professor Steven Friedman has called for an “urgent conversation” between people with technical expertise who understand planning and transport issues, to debate ways in which the country can begin to integrate its poor people into the country’s economic hubs. This... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Dylan Slater
UJ Professor Steven Friedman

Samsa to investigate 400 litre oil spill off Port Elizabeth

By: African News Agency 8th July 2019 The South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) has launched an investigation to establish why up to 400 litres of oil spilled into the ocean off Port Elizabeth while a vessel was being refuelled. In a statement, Samsa said the spillage, which occurred early on Saturday morning, was contained... →

Audits, partnerships important for increasing rail market share

By: Simone Liedtke 8th July 2019 A study by a group of students from the University of Johannesburg’s College of Business and Economics suggests that Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) – which has positioned itself as a low-cost freight transport solutions provider in South Africa – conduct an audit of the organisation’s skills, and... →

Aurecon highlights potential of tech to transform the transport industry

By: Marleny Arnoldi 8th July 2019 Many stakeholders believe the transport industry is on the cusp of disruptive transformation, as big as with the advent of the motorcar in the early 1900s. The only way for the South African transport industry to compete would be to embrace innovation and adapt to the disruption accordingly,... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Dylan Slater
Aurecon COO Dr Gustav Rohde

Task team to look at future of e-tolling, completion date set for August

By: Irma Venter 8th July 2019 A governmental task team will produce a report on the future of electronic tolling in Gauteng by August. Speaking at a media conference at the Southern African Transport Conference in Pretoria, on Monday, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula said this report will be presented to President Cyril... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Dylan Slater
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula

Ramaphosa raps knuckles of Ministers embroiled in twitter war

By: Bloomberg 7th July 2019 President Cyril Ramaphosa criticised Ministers in his cabinet for “unbecoming” behaviour on social media after a spat unfolded over electronic road tolls in country’s richest province. Finance Minister Tito Mboweni, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula and Gauteng Premier David Makhura exchanged... →

Gauteng transport boss urges minibus taxi industry to embrace innovation

By: African News Agency 5th July 2019 Gauteng member of the executive council for roads and transport Jacob Mamabolo has urged the provincial leadership of the South African National Taxi Council to take measures to modernise the industry, his department said on Friday. Mamabolo held a meeting with officials to discuss various... →

Ethiopian crash families criticise Boeing over donation plan

By: Reuters 5th July 2019 The families of victims of an Ethiopian air disaster on Thursday criticised Boeing's plan to donate $100-million to unspecified charities and communities affected by two crashes, saying it was too vague and that families should have been consulted first. Some of the families said Wednesday's... →

Comair sees annual earnings boost from SAA payment

By: Reuters 5th July 2019 Airline Comair expects its full year headline earnings per share (HEPS) to rise by more than 20%, boosted by a $78-million payment from embattled state-owned airline South African Airways, it said on Thursday. HEPS, the main profit measure in South Africa, came in at 69.5 cents in the previous... →

Infrastructure backlog provides growth opportunities for company

By: Cameron Mackay 5th July 2019 There is a backlog of sufficient planned new bulk water infrastructure projects in South Africa which could potentially provide increased opportunities for engineering consultants, such as AECOM, to become involved in more infrastructure development, says AECOM water business line director Werner... →

WERNER COMRIE Collaboration between the public and private sectors is long overdue. We have to use our collective knowledge to solve the challenges going forward

World airline body’s regional head highlights benefits of and barriers to African aviation

By: Rebecca Campbell 5th July 2019 The importance, potential, and challenges facing commercial aviation in Africa were highlighted at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Regional Aviation Forum, held late last month in Accra, Ghana. “Aviation is a key enabler for economic and social prosperity in Africa,”... →

South African unmanned aerial vehicle industry body created

By: Rebecca Campbell 5th July 2019 A representative body for the South African unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or drone, sector was launched recently at Kyalami, north of Johannesburg. This is the South African Federation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), officially abbreviated to Safu. (UAS is another term for drones; they are... →

Western Cape transport department building N2 pedestrian bridge

By: Marleny Arnoldi 4th July 2019 The Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works has started building a pedestrian bridge on the N2 at Garden Village, in Somerset West, just before the intersection with De Beers avenue. The department expects the R22-million project to be completed by the end of 2020. →

SA invests in its passenger rail services

3rd July 2019 Creamer Media's Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Irma Venter about government’s investment in Metrorail, the theft and vandalism that continues to plague Metrorail and the Gautrain Management Agency’s proposals to increase non-fare revenue. →

SA invests in its passenger rail services

Transport conference to feature latest research, expert speakers

By: Marleny Arnoldi 3rd July 2019 The Southern African Transport Conference (SATC) will for the thirty-eighth time host internationally-lauded plenary speakers and welcome around 700 transport professionals, academics, students and engineers. The premier transport conference will be held at the Council for Scientific and... →

South Africans to prepare ‘smart heavy haul industry’ roadmap

3rd July 2019 The South African Heavy Haul Association (SAHHA) hosted a three-day technical workshop in Johannesburg in late 2018 as part of preparations for the 2019 International Heavy Haul Association (IHHA) conference to be held in Narvik, Norway, from June 10 to 14. Ten countries are a part of the IHHA... →

Theft of R1m critical components derailed train in Ekurhuleni, says Metrorail

By: African News Agency 2nd July 2019 Metrorail Gauteng said on Tuesday that its preliminary investigation shows that the train derailment in Ekurhuleni was caused by theft of critical infrastructure components worth R1-million – namely the points rods, points machine and clamps. Train 0304 traveling from Springs en route to... →

SAA welcomes Bezuidenhout back as Mango CEO

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 2nd July 2019 The board of South African Airways on Tuesday expressed its support for the appointment of Nico Bezuidenhout as CEO of its subsidiary, Mango Airlines, effective October 1. This appointment of a permanent CEO at Mango was a further step in stabilising leadership and strengthening the executive... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Nico Bezuidenhout

New online venture allows anyone to become a courier

By: Irma Venter 2nd July 2019 A new South African online platform allows anyone with a motorbike, car or truck to offer their own ad hoc courier service, from short trips across a city, to long haul deliveries. The web-based system is named Thutha, which means ‘move’ in isiZulu. →

The Thutha website is mobile friendly, but the service is not available as an app

New railway app allows commuters to travel today, pay tomorrow

By: Irma Venter 2nd July 2019 International rail companies are implementing numerous new, innovative ways for commuters to fund their journeys. One such method is a smart phone app, called Lezzgo, that operates under the get-on, get-off, pay-later principle – no travel card or ticket required. →

'Gauteng government prepared to help settle e-toll debt' – Makhura

By: African News Agency 1st July 2019 The Gauteng provincial government will do anything to have e-tolls scrapped, including footing the bill to pay billions of rands in debt owed by the South African National Roads Agency to lenders. Gauteng Premier David Makhura said his provincial government will not change its stance on e-tolls.... →

SAA is leasing new-generation wide-body airliners

By: Rebecca Campbell 1st July 2019 State-owned national flag carrier South African Airways (SAA) announced on Sunday that it had leased latest-generation Airbus A350-900 aircraft to operate its Johannesburg-New York route. The new, twin-engined, aircraft will replace the four-engined older generation Airbus A340-600 airliners... →

Photo by Airbus
An Airbus A350-900 in the livery of China Southern Airlines

Gautrain looks at expanding non-fare revenue with Centurion pilot project

By: Irma Venter 1st July 2019 While “doing okay” in terms of non-fare revenue from advertising, the “one big trick” the Gautrain system has missed out on has been to participate in the rise in property value around Gautrain stations, says Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) COO William Dachs. Since the establishment of the... →

Photo by Dylan Slater
Centurion station

Topics In These Articles

Africa Freight Iron Ore Locomotives Power PROJECT rail Rolling Stock Safety System Technology Testing Transnet Manufacturing Solutions Infrastructure Operations ... more

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