Transport in South Africa
Encyclopedia
Roads
Approximately ten thousand people die on roads in South Africa yearly.The national speed limit is between 40 or 80 km/h in residential areas and 120 km/h on national roads/freeways/motorways.
In 2002 the country had 362,099 km of highways, 73,506 km (17%) of which was paved (including 239 km of expressways).
Railways
In 2000, South Africa had 20,384 km of rail transportRail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
, all of it narrow gauge. 20,070 km was gauge (9,090 km of that electrified), with the remaining 314 km gauge. The operation of the country's rail systems is accomplished by Transnet
Transnet
Transnet SOC Ltd is a large South African rail, port and pipeline company, headquartered in the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg. It was formed as a limited company on April 1, 1990. A majority of the company's stock is owned by the Department of Public Enterprises, or DPE, of the South African...
subsidiaries Spoornet
Spoornet
Transnet Freight Rail is a South African rail transport company, formerly known as Spoornet. It was part of 'South African Railways and Harbours', a state-controlled organisation that employed hundreds of thousands of people for decades from the first half of the 20th century and was widely...
, Shosholoza Meyl
Shosholoza Meyl
Shosholoza Meyl is a division of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa that operates long-distance passenger rail services. It operates various train routes across South Africa, carrying approximately 4 million passengers annually...
, Metrorail
Metrorail
Metrorail may refer to:* Metrorail , a commuter rail system operator in South Africa** Metrorail Eastern Cape, commuter rail lines serving Port Elizabeth and East London...
, Transwerk
Transwerk
Transwerk, since renamed to Transnet Rail Engineering, is a subsidiary of Transnet whose business it is to keep South Africa's trains rolling. According to the Operational Report at Transnet, Transwerk's responsibility includes "the maintenance, upgrade and manufacture of locomotives, wagons,...
, Protekon
Protekon
Protekon performs maintenance and development services for the ports, railways and terminals of South Africa's state-owned transportation giant Transnet. It is similar in function to the company Transwerk, which performs mainenance and development for the rolling stock of Transnet's railways...
et al.
A feasibility study is to be conducted into the construction of a 720 km of (standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
) line from Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
to Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
for double-stack
Double-stack rail transport
Double-stack rail transport is a form of Intermodal freight transport where intermodal containers are stacked two high on railroad cars. Introduced in North America in 1984, double stack has become increasingly common, being used for nearly 70% of United States intermodal shipments...
container trains
Intermodal freight transport
Intermodal freight transport involves the transportation of freight in an intermodal container or vehicle, using multiple modes of transportation , without any handling of the freight itself when changing modes. The method reduces cargo handling, and so improves security, reduces damages and...
.
On 2010-06-07 the Gautrain
Gautrain
Gautrain is an mass rapid transit railway system in Gauteng Province, South Africa, which links Johannesburg, Pretoria, and OR Tambo International Airport...
opened between Oliver R Tambo International Airport (ORTIA) and Sandton. This is the first stage of a standard gauge passenger line connecting Johannesburg, Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
and ORTIA.
Links exist to Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe. Railways linking Mozambique are under repair.
Transportation systems in nearby countries
AngolaTransport in Angola
- Railways :There are three separate railway lines in Angola:* Luanda Railway * Benguela Railway * Moçâmedes Railway - Highways :* total: 52,429 km* paved: 5,349 km* unpaved: 46,080 km...
Tanzania
Transport in Tanzania
Transport in Tanzania is mainly by road, supplemented by rail. Tanzania's road network, is of limited quality and not many roads are tarmacked. Dirt roads become impassable during the rainy season and can remain impassable for days, or, more often, weeks. The only reliable surface connection from...
same gauge as far as Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...
- transshipment to gauge at Kidatu
Kidatu
Kidatu is a town in southern Tanzania located in Kilombero district, Morogoro Region. The local population is about 3300. Primary economic activity is the large Illovo sugar plantation.Kidatu is a town in central Tanzania...
Malawi
Transport in Malawi
Transportation in Malawi is poorly developed. The country of almost 14 million has 39 airports, 6 with paved runways and 33 with unpaved runways. It has of railways, all narrow-gauge and about 45 percent of its roads are paved...
Zambia
Transport in Zambia
-Railways in Zambia:Total: 2,164 km -Zambia Rail Network Map:-Principal lines:* Zambia Railways Limited — narrow gauge, 846 km Kitwe-Ndola-New Kapiri Mposhi-Kabwe-Lusaka-Livingstone-Zimbabwe with several freight branches mostly in the Copperbelt totalling 427 km including to DR Congo...
Congo
Transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ground transport in the Democratic Republic of Congo has always been difficult. The terrain and climate of the Congo Basin present serious barriers to road and rail construction, and the distances are enormous across this vast country...
Botswana
Transport in Botswana
A sparsely populated, arid country, Botswana has nonetheless managed to incorporate much of its interior into the national economy. An "inner circle" highway connecting all major towns and district capitals is completely paved, and the all-weather Trans-Kalahari Highway connects the country to...
Lesotho
Transport in Lesotho
This article concerns systems of transport in Lesotho. As a landlocked country, Lesotho has no seaports or harbours, but does possess road, air, and limited rail infrastructure.-Roads:...
Mozambique
Transport in Mozambique
- Railways :total:3,123 kmnarrow gauge:2,983 km of gauge;narrow gauge:140 km of gauge * The railways do not all interconnect.- Standards :* Coupler: CBC* Brakes: Air- Railway links to adjacent countries :...
, under repair Namibia
Transport in Namibia
- Road :Namibia's road network is regarded as one of the best on the continent; road construction and maintenance adheres to international standards. It consists of 25,000 km of gravel roads and 9,000 km of earth-graded roads...
Swaziland
Transport in Swaziland
Public transport is the main means of transportation in Swaziland. Car ownership is low, at 32 cars per 1,000 people. The National Road Network has 1500km of main roads and 2270km of district roads.- Railways :total:...
Zimbabwe
Transport in Zimbabwe
- Railways :The railway operator is National Railways of Zimbabwe.total: 3,077 km , 2,759 km narrow gauge: 3,077 km of gauge , 2,759 km of gauge - Railways :The railway operator is National Railways of Zimbabwe.total: 3,077 km (2002), 2,759 km (1995)narrow gauge:...
Airports
| Runway | <914 m | 914/1 523 m | 1 524/2 437 m | 2 438/3 047 m | >3 047 m | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paved | 11 | 67 | 50 | 5 | 10 | 143 |
| Unpaved | 252 | 298 | 34 | 584 |
Water
South Africa's major ports and harbours are Cape TownCape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, East London, Mossel Bay
Mossel Bay
Mossel Bay is a harbour town of about 130,000 people on the Southern Cape of South Africa. It is an important tourism and farming region of the Western Cape Province...
, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, and Saldanha Bay
Saldanha Bay
Saldanha Bay is a natural harbour on the south-western coast of South Africa, north west of Cape Town. The town that developed on the northern shore of the bay, also called Saldanha, was incorporated with five other towns into the Saldanha Bay Local Municipality in 2000. The current population of...
. In 2006 the new port is to open: Ngqura
Ngqura
The Port of Ngqura is a deepwater port on the east coast of South Africa, 20km north east of Port Elizabeth. It was authorised by an act of parliament in 2002, construction started in September 2002 and the port became operational in October 2009 when the MSC Catania became the first commercial...
, at Coega
Coega
The Coega Industrial Development Zone covering 110 km² of land , is situated in the Nelson Mandela Municipality, Eastern Cape province of South Africa in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality near Port Elizabeth...
, which is 20 km northeast of Port Elizabeth. The administration and operation of the country's port facilities is done by two subsidiaries of Transnet, the Transnet National Ports Authority
Transnet National Ports Authority
Transnet National Ports Authority is a government corporation of South Africa and division of Transnet, responsible for managing and governing seven of South Africa's major seaports. Another division of Transnet, South African Port Operations, is responsible for port operations. NPA main offices...
and South African Port Operations
South African Port Operations
SAPO was the old name for what is now Transnet Port Terminals, which operates 13 terminals in 6 South African ports. It is the port management division of Transnet, the South African transport giant.-Operations:List of ports:*Cape Town...
(SAPO).
In 2002, the merchant marine consisted of eight ships of 1,000 GRT or over, totaling 271,650 GRT/. Six were container ships, and two were petroleum tankers (including foreign-owned ships registered as a flag of convenience
Flag of convenience
The term flag of convenience describes the business practice of registering a merchant ship in a sovereign state different from that of the ship's owners, and flying that state's civil ensign on the ship. Ships are registered under flags of convenience to reduce operating costs or avoid the...
: Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
: 3, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
: 1).
Pipelines
There are 931 km of crude oil pipeline transportPipeline transport
Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquids and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air are also used....
, 1,748 km for other petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
products, and 322 km for natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
. Petronet
Petronet
Transnet Pipelines, a subsidiary of Transnet, is the principal operator of South Africa's fuel pipeline system. It is responsible for over of pipelines. It is responsible for petroleum storage and pipeline maintenance. Transnet Pipelines works with petrols, diesel fuel, jet fuel, crude oil and...
, a subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
of Transnet
Transnet
Transnet SOC Ltd is a large South African rail, port and pipeline company, headquartered in the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg. It was formed as a limited company on April 1, 1990. A majority of the company's stock is owned by the Department of Public Enterprises, or DPE, of the South African...
, which in turn is majority owned by the government, is principally responsible for the operation of South Africa's pipelines.