South Africa Shifts High-Speed Rail Focus to Gauteng-Limpopo Line with 2030 Target

High-Speed Rail Deadline Missed, New Focus Emerges

South Africa has not met its initial goal of establishing a high-speed passenger rail service by the end of 2025. This deadline was first anticipated by former director-general for transport Alec Moemi, following President Cyril Ramaphosa's 2019 vision for a bullet train network connecting major cities across the country. The ambitious plan, which envisioned bullet trains passing through Johannesburg, Musina, Buffalo City, and eThekwini, has seen its timeline pushed back.

The focus has now shifted to the development of a new high-speed rail line connecting Gauteng and Limpopo provinces. The Department of Transport (DoT), in collaboration with the Gauteng and Limpopo provincial governments, aims to launch this long-distance high-speed rail (HSR) network by 2030.

Gauteng-Limpopo Line: Route and Timeline

The proposed Limpopo-Gauteng Speed Train project is currently undergoing crucial feasibility and environmental impact studies, which began in mid-2025. If these assessments proceed as planned, construction on the approximately 500-kilometer north-south railway is expected to commence in late 2026.

The planned route will extend from Pretoria in Gauteng to Musina in the far north of Limpopo. Key towns along the line will include:

• Hammanskraal
• Bela-Bela
• Mokopane
• Polokwane
• Louis Trichardt

The initial phase of the project will concentrate on the section between Pretoria and Polokwane, the capital city of Limpopo.

Anticipated Impact and Technical Specifications

Once operational, the high-speed train is projected to significantly reduce travel times. The journey between Pretoria and Polokwane, which currently takes between 2.5 to 6 hours by car, is expected to be cut to approximately 90 minutes. To achieve this, the train will need to maintain an average speed of around 177 km/h on the Pretoria-Polokwane stretch, with speeds exceeding 200 km/h on certain segments. While these speeds are below the fastest international HSR systems, they are sufficient to technically qualify the service as a 'bullet train' by global definitions.

The project is a collaborative effort involving the national Department of Transport, the Gauteng and Limpopo provincial governments, and private investors. A significant challenge identified is land acquisition along the proposed route, with negotiations with local communities and landowners currently underway.

Broader Context of South African Rail Development

This high-speed rail initiative is part of a broader railway investment plan for South Africa. It is expected to be rolled out alongside the second phase expansion of the Gautrain, which will see the commuter service's network grow from 80km to 230km. However, the overall South African rail system continues to face substantial challenges, including infrastructure deterioration, widespread theft and vandalism, and operational failures, which underscore the need for significant upgrades and security enhancements across the network.