Author:elvin-harris

Third-party rail access: can it work? November 12, 2024 Since the 1980s, allowing private train operators access to previously monopolised, state-owned railway networks has been a cornerstone of railway reform worldwide. ELVIN HARRIS says that, if it happens in South Africa, we should proceed with caution. The rationale for this opening up of the railway networks has been consistent across countries and regions: government-owned and operated railways were placing too much of a financial burden on the state on the […]

Revealed: how SA can achieve a functioning rail freight network – Part 2 November 3, 2023 Do you fancy the idea of a functioning rail freight network in South Africa? ELVIN HARRIS certainly does. He believes that the solution lies in a direct government contribution to financing the network. This is the conclusion of a two-part series on the subject (Part One can be found here).  In Part One of this series, I explained why South Africa’s rail freight network […]

Revealed: how SA can achieve a functioning rail freight network – Part 1 October 27, 2023 Do you fancy the idea of a functioning rail freight network in South Africa? ELVIN HARRIS certainly does. He believes that the solution lies in a direct government contribution to financing the network. This is Part One of a fascinating two-part series on the subject. Let’s start with a brief history. South Africa’s railway system is almost 160 years old; it’s been at the […]

Freight transport: do or die? July 7, 2022 Is the land freight transport system in South Africa, consisting of road and rail, broken? More importantly, can it be fixed? ELVIN HARRIS takes a cold, hard look at this pressing issue. Transport systems are never static. They are always evolving, based on the needs of the local and global economy and the policy directions determined by governments and other major role players in the transport system and the real economy. This […]

South African land transport – where to next? August 19, 2021 The disruption of the N3 transport corridor during the days of the riots and looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, and the impact on the broader economy has brought into sharp focus the critical importance of a functioning land transport system in South Africa. So says CILTSA president ELVIN HARRIS. The effective closure of this corridor, from the port of Durban all the way to the Gauteng hinterland, just for […]