Ramaphosa's high-speed rail plans face scrutiny from opposition parties

President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed the government's commitment to developing high-speed rail in South Africa, announcing that nearly 30 companies have expressed interest in participating in the project.

During his 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday, Ramaphosa said they continued preparations for the introduction of high-speed rail in South Africa.

“I know you love this one,” he said as there were jeers from some of the MPs.

“I have been saying that we would like this to cover initially, routes such as Johannesburg and Musina and eThekwini to Johannesburg,” he said when he continued with his address.

Ramaphosa told the nation the government is determined to compete in a rapidly changing global economy.

“High-speed trains are happening in many parts of the world. They have cut down the time of travel,” he said.

“In my book, it should no longer take five to six hours to travel from eThekwini or Durban to Johannesburg, four-and-a-half hours from Johannesburg to Musina, when it can be done in a much shorter space of time.” 

Ramaphosa also said there was public support for the project.

“Our people want it, and progress is now being made,” he said.

He stated that nearly 30 companies indicated their willingness to participate in high-speed rail corridors when they put out the request for information in 2025.

“We are preparing to send out a request for proposals, which will introduce a new era of long-distance rail travel in South Africa at a faster pace,” he said.

Commenting on the matter, Build One South Africa spokesperson Roger Solomons asked how many times South Africans heard the promise of a high-speed “bullet” train.

“It re-appears once a year in the SONA, repeated with confidence, and then quietly shelved until the next speech,” Solomons said.

The “bullet train” did not attract political reaction from other parties, which have on record stated before SONA that they did not want to hear fairytales.

Without mentioning the high-speed rail, EFF leader Julius Malema stated that what they listened to in the election-littered speech were things they had heard of in the past.

In 2019, Ramaphosa imagined South Africa, which had prioritised its rail networks and produced high-speed trains, where bullet trains connected megacities and the remotest areas of the country.

“We should imagine a country where a bullet train passes through Johannesburg as it travels to Musina, and it stops in Buffalo City on the way from eThekwini to here in Cape Town,” he said at the time.

In 2024, he indicated that the Cabinet approved a framework for high-speed rail in November 2023 and its financial implications were to be discussed between the Transport and Finance Ministers.

“Cabinet approved the prioritisation of the Johannesburg to Durban corridor for a detailed feasibility study, and the Johannesburg-Polokwane to Musina, and the Johannesburg to Mbombela corridors will be put to the market.”

Responding to a parliamentary question months later, then Transport minister Sindisiwe Chikunga indicated that the framework was developed following the adoption of the national rail policy by Cabinet in March 2022.

mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za