Rail routes to benefit will be the Gauteng, PE and East London route as well as Coega to Sishen.

Transnet will spend R753-million on railways in the Eastern Cape over the next five years, Public Enterprises Minister Barbara Hogan has told the National Council of Provinces.

Replying to a question from Hermanus Groenewald (DA), she said R444-million would be spent on the rail links between Gauteng and Port Elizabeth and East London, and R309-million on the line between Coega and Sishen in the Northern Cape.

The “revitalisation” of railways remained a priority and a shift from road to rail required capital investments and an improvement in performance.

Initiatives to facilitate the shift over the next five years included: