A severe capital shortage in South Africa during the 1980s resulted in significant losses for both freight and passenger rail, which gave rise to cutbacks in new investments for rail. By 1986 expenditure on fixed rail assets was reduced from R1.44 billion to R500 million; this was the beginning of the decline of freight rail. During this period freight transport was deregulated and road freight used this opportunity to compete with rail transport in the same market segment by transporting bulk goods on long hauls. The result of this was an increase in truck traffic on the roads, causing a negative impact on the conditions of the road and placing freight rail in a continuous decline, leading to the obsolete state of the rail infrastructure, rolling stock and its under-utilisation. This had a detrimental impact on freight rail and the economy. Having realised the extent of the problem, government, through the Department of Transport (DoT), decided to intervene by changing the current model of the freight transport system. To that effect the DoT is in the process of developing a National Rail Policy, with the main focus being to encourage the shift of freight transportation of bulk commodities from road to rail. As the National Rail Agency, Transnet undertakes all South Africa‟s freight rail operations through its Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) division. As such, TFR is ultimately responsible for the implementation of the road to rail implementation project. To that effect, TFR developed the MDS to revitalise itself and ensure its success. The objective of this research is to (a) assess the capacity of TFR to successfully implement the road to rail policy; (b) determine whether the implementation of road to rail will lead to freight rail efficiency and competitiveness, reliability and sustainability; and (c) establish the industry‟s reaction towards the shift from road to rail. In order to respond to the research question, qualitative research was chosen as the most appropriate approach. This facilitated an in-depth exploration and understanding of the issues around the road to rail project including how the industry feels about the issue, as well as an exploration of other possible alternatives which could provide the same or better results in a simpler and more effective manner. This research may serve as additional information for authorities to consider during the implementation of the road to rail project, and could render a better chance of success. Upon completion of this research the author concluded that Transnet Freight Rail has a good chance of success. The implementation of road to rail is being given adequate attention. Integration is possible as the industry welcomes and supports the road to rail programme, in fact a number of collaboration agreements already exist between rail and other transport modes. This will enable Transnet Freight Rail to achieve efficiency, sustainability and a competitive advantage within the seven year timeframe of the MDS. / Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) / M. B. A. (Business Leadership)

The annual budget cycle in urban road/transport authorities by implication requires transport infrastructure projects to be ranked in terms of their relative value, to enable project selection by starting from the most deserving proposal. This follows from the fact that the total cost of feasible projects practically always exceeds available funds, signalling the need for some kind of selection protocol. Cost benefit analysis (CBA), when applied in a narrow sense, is not suitable for this purpose as it focuses on economic efficiency only. Attempts to broaden it have been criticized by some scholars. Although the diversity of impacts points to a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) approach, this is considered unscientific in certain quarters; at best, its practical value needs to be demonstrated. In the case of the City of Tshwane (CoT), problems with current project appraisal are evident in that different methods – none of which is defensible – are used, sometimes resulting in rankings that are contradictory. This thesis therefore attempts the following: (a) to develop a basic approach that combines the best elements of traditional methods; (b) to customize this approach to the specific context and needs of road authorities in the municipal sphere of government, using CoT as an example; and (c) to demonstrate the application of the resulting appraisal framework, utilizing appropriate decision-support software for this purpose. Recommendations include the following: An appraisal framework should combine CBA and MCA by adopting an overall MCA approach with economic efficiency – focusing on the optimal allocation of scarce resources – as one of the decision criteria. For completeness‟ sake, three additional decision criteria are deemed necessary: equity (focusing on income distribution impacts); sustainability (focusing on environmental impacts); and compatibility (focusing on the alignment of projects with stated goals and objectives). This framework may well apply to road authorities in other spheres of government – the optimum application in each case will depend on the composition of the relevant decision-making team. The inherent nature of project appraisal requires a two-phased approach in all cases: the evaluation of mutually exclusive alternatives, followed by the ranking of independent projects. State-of-the-art decision support software is indispensable for implementing this framework. / Transport Economics / D. Com. (Transport Economics)

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor in Technology: Civil Engineering at Technikon Natal, 1998. / The Government of South Africa has recognised transport as one of its five main priority areas for socia-economic development. One of the Governments strategic objectives, as reflected in the white paper on National Transport Policy, is to promote the use of public transport with the goal of achieving a ratio of 80:20 between public transport and private car usage, as a long term vision. This is no easy task and in order to achieve this goal, an in depth analysis of the current transport situation is required. The structure and land-use patterns of most of the South African cities have forced the residents to be predominantly dependent on private transport, resulting in high car ownerships. Over the years, this has caused the traffic on the major links connecting the suburban areas leading to the city centres to be very high and some of them have already approached forced flow conditions during morning and evening peak periods / D

The purpose of this study is to explore procurement practices employed within the commuter bus industry in Gauteng. The contemporary procurement practices employed within the commuter bus industry in Gauteng have propagated a number of challenges for this industry, including a deficit in the allocated funds and a lack of coordinated relationship between the relevant stakeholders. This study is both descriptive and exploratory in nature and employed a mixed-method research approach to collect the research data. The data was collected from a sample of 18 respondents who are key stakeholders directly involved in the procurement of subsidised commuter bus services in Gauteng by means of a face-to-face interview using a semi-structured questionnaire. The findings of the study revealed that there are three types of procurement practices employed within the commuter bus industry, namely, interim, negotiated and tender contracts. However, all these contracts are now outdated, due to the complex implementation of the policies guiding procurement. The study also revealed that there are minimal contributions towards the socio-economic objectives within the commuter bus industry. This has led to uncoordinated relations between the government officials and the subsidised commuter bus operators. Furthermore, there are challenges hindering effective procurement in the commuter bus industry, such as under-funding, fronting activities, frequent reshuffling of transport personnel and inconstant allocation of funds. The study also noted differences in the application of procurement practices between the government officials and the subsidised commuter bus operators, in terms of the industry’s contribution towards socio-economic objectives, policies and regulations, relationship and the challenges faced within the industry. Efficient procurement practices can contribute significantly to the commuter bus industry, especially towards job creation and economic growth. The study concludes with a recommended framework for enhancing the procurement practices of the commuter bus services in Gauteng. / Economics / M. Com. (Transport Economics)