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Johannesburg - The proposed monorail link between Soweto and Johannesburg was "not logical" and needed a concrete proposal, the Transport Department's director general said on Tuesday.
"What has been in the press doesn't present itself as logical. We are not adverse to any innovative proposal but it needs to be dealt with properly," Mpumi Mpofu told the Africa Rail conference in Johannesburg.
She said she needed to see a more detailed proposal and added that the system had to be a mass mover, be car competitive, and operate efficiently.
The matter would be dealt with at national and not provincial level.
She said the Gautrain had led to similar proposals in other metropolitan areas. "We need a framework in which these proposals can be dealt with and approved."
Mpofu said investment was needed to upgrade the country's ageing rail infrastructure, and to reverse the decrease in freight volumes.
The cost of doing business in South Africa was among the highest in the world. Road freight had grown because rail had failed to operate a predictable and efficient service.
"The level of bulk freight being moved on our roads is quite clearly unsustainable and costing billions," she said.
Policy directives were being finalised to ensure that certain hazardous materials and bulk goods would not be allowed on the country's roads in future.