SONA 2026: Ramaphosa again puts high-speed, passenger trains on national to-do list

President Cyril Ramaphosa has not shelved his dream of high-speed, passenger trains in South Africa, once again putting it back on the national to-do list when he delivered his State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Cape Town on Thursday night.

First mentioned in his second state of the nation speech in 2019, Ramaphosa endured some heckling when he announced that preparations are continuing to make this a reality.

ALSO READ: SONA 2026: Ramaphosa attempts to paint picture of optimism for SA

He said routes under consideration include Johannesburg to Musina and Durban to Johannesburg.

Ramaphosa added that nearly 30 companies responded to a request for information put out in 2025 to participate in high-speed rail corridors.

He said a request for proposals will be sent out soon to introduce a new era of long-distance rail travel in South Africa.

“In my book, it should no longer take five or six hours to travel from eThekwini or Durban to Johannesburg, or four-and-a-half hours from Johannesburg to Musina, when it can be done in a much shorter space of time. Our people want it, and progress is now being made.”