The agency is also expected to reveal the cost of the project - expected to run into billions of rands - and its funding model.
Peak-hour congestion on the Pietermaritzburg route increased dramatically since the city was declared the capital of the province. The provincial legislature and headquarters of all government departments are now located in Pietermaritzburg. According to national Transport Minister Sbusiso Ndebele, who supports the project, the Durban-Gauteng corridor was the busiest in the southern hemisphere, both in value and tonnage.
Mxolisi Kaunda, chairperson of the transport portfolio committee, supports the project, as well: "We are worried about the volume of traffic on our roads," he said, adding that the committee is also "worried about the number of accidents. The injection of a speed train would make things easier and safer for everyone. We are very keen on this project," Kaunda said. Opposition parties, however, are skeptical. Radley Keys, the DA's local transport spokesperson, said that although an improved transport system in the province was to be welcomed, the DA was against what he called 'an elitist speed train'.
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