3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item A stratified systems framework for the North-South Rail Corridor in Southern Africa(2019) Bester, Paul MichaelThe North South Corridor (NSC) runs from the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to the ports of Southern Africa, connecting the DRC, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Swaziland, Mozambique and South Africa (RSA). The notoriously high transport costs on the NSC, compared to other major regions of the world, is a serious limitation on the economic development of the SADC region. While total NSC (road and rail) freight traffic volumes have increased, the rail portion has declined. Rail volumes on the NSC have dropped by 80%, while rail market share has dropped by more than 67% between 1990 and 2016. The purpose of this study is to determine what has caused this dramatic decline and what can be done to reverse the trend. By applying a systems approach, the NSC-Rail System was analysed from a business model and a concept of operations (CONOPS) point of view. A mixed-method research design which included both a qualitative and a quantitative element was used. The study provided an understanding of the NSC-Rail System with its multiple interacting subsystems and context elements. It also provided a means of conceptualising the factors impacting its business model. In the Stratified Systems Review process, Node Flow Mapping highlighted the numerous discontinuities in the NSC rail corridor and the sharp contrast in traffic density north of the RSA rail network. The Viable Systems Model analysis showed that the system fails at the Coordination (level 2) and Optimisation (level 3) levels of a viable system. Value Stream Mapping (VSMp) identified the non-value adding delays caused by customs clearances at the multiple border crossings and identified locomotive and crew changeover points as major causes of transit delays. The VSMp indicated that the rail transit time between Durban and the DRC should be circa 8 days as opposed to the reported the 30 days rail transit time. The research concluded that the operations of the sovereign rail operators must be aligned and optimised at system level. Lack of information sharing and communication problems are blamed on the language barriers between the operators along the corridor. The business model must address all the elements required of an end-to-end transport system. Key elements to improving the NSC-Rail System are inland dry-terminals, security of freight, system effectiveness and operational efficiency, competitive pricing and dependable, short delivery times.Item The planning process around an integrated transport Node/Station: indingilizi(2019) Nyanda, NduduzoThe South African minibus taxi industry is responsible for providing transport for more than 60% of the population and workforce in urban areas, but it is still regarded as informal. This rendering of it as informal can be traced back to the apartheid era and the structural laws put in place by the government, which still are continued in post-apartheid South Africa. In trying to address this at a local level, Cities like Johannesburg have initiated a transit oriented development programme, which aims to incorporate the minibus taxi industry into the bus rapid transit system, and use it and the development of its support infrastructure to drive economic growth and development along key strategic routes/corridors throughout the City (The Corridors of Freedom). As well cutting down on congestion, the programme is meant to redress the socio-political and economic disparities created by apartheid spatial planning, using a bus transit system to ‘re-stitch’ the racially and economically segregated City back together. This also extended to the minibus taxi industry through their incorporation into the system as shareholders (PioTrans), The first two phases (1A & 1B) of the system (Rea Vaya) which link various parts of Soweto to the Johannesburg CBD are functioning, with most affected taxi entities on-board as shareholders of the system. Spatially however, the stations are designed as silos and have not been integrated in with existing transport networks or any surrounding infrastructure. All stations except one, Indingilizi in Dobsonville. Here some attempt has been made to try and house the various transport modes and operators into one transport interchange. From face value, the attempts with Indigilizi seems like a good start at an integrated transport node in the CoF ought to look like, as it tries to integrate the Rea Vaya with the minibus taxis operating in the area. However, upon closer inspection one realises that the systems are in fact not integrated. At best one can say all the operators are just located in (and not even sharing) one space. This speaks to exclusionary nature of the operational design of the node, as even traders have chosen to operate outside along the street and not in the formally built structures in the node. The building’s physical design is also exclusionary as it is fenced off and does not integrate with its surroundings.Item The implementation of the national passenger rail plan on priority corridors(2017) Makaepea, NgwakoThe National Rail Passenger Plan was approved by the Cabinet of South Africa in 2006, as a blueprint to arrest the decline of passenger rail in the country. This was developed at the backdrop of the consolidation of the rail entities where passenger and freight rail will be separately managed. South Africa’s passenger rail system was underpinned by years of underinvestment. South Africa has experienced the terminal decline pertaining to the market share in passenger rail. The entire rail assets i.e. both above rail and below rail were in a state of collapse and as such the national passenger rail plan was therefore a right intervention. The approach of the plan was to position rail transport as one of the key mode for public transport solutions. The Priority Corridors strategy was introduced as method to target the focused implementation methodology. The strategy approach was to look at corridors with high ridership in order to have an impact. Around 2.2 million, mainly low income, working people use the commuter network everyday to access employment opportunities. The focus of the research study was to understand the progress which has been made with regard to this strategic intervention. Critical is to understand what are the shortcomings that impede the implementation of national passenger rail plan in South Africa. To answer this question, the study focused on the documentary analysis and interviews as part of the data collection methodology. The findings of the study were able to demonstrate on which aspect of the strategic infrastructure investments projects were implemented in priority corridors. Some of the aspects which have been implemented include track rehabilitation, new signal equipment and station upgrades in priority corridors. However, there were challenges that were experienced during the implementation. The study findings revealed that funding of the programme implementation is one of shortcomings that delayed the implementation of the national rail plan. Other findings include the lack of capacity and technical skills; and lack of leadership in implementing the strategic projects in the priority corridors. The study recommends that for sustainable rail operations, funding should be mobilised, Prasa structure should be realigned and the rail regulatory framework should be finalised.