Towards a revitalization of passenger rail services in South African cities: Lessons from international institutional reforms

For over a century passenger rail services in South Africa have been provided by one or other form of national public monopoly. Over the past decade these services have been in steep decline, effectively collapsing when COVID-19 lockdown regulations were imposed. Current policy attention is focussed on reviving operations and installing an institutional structure capable of providing ‘safe, reliable, effective, efficient and fully integrated’ rail transport. Key to this is a commitment to devolve functions to capable lower spheres of government. The aim of this paper is to explore lessons from international experiences in institutional reforms centred around devolution. To qualify for inclusion, cases needed to have experienced a deliberate policy action to devolve passenger rail functions from a national to a lower sphere of government. A literature search revealed 11 such cases. Case reviews focussed on: the circumstances of the devolution; any associated vertical separation and privatisation; impacts; and any subsequent policy reversals. Key lessons included: devolved operations should be accompanied by financial resourcing; vertical separation requires independent institutions capable of adjudicating competing interests; private sector participation in operations is less risky than private infrastructure ownership; and the devolution of both train and bus services can enhance modal integration. • Over the past decade South African passenger rail services have declined steeply. • Mitigation is focussed on devolving rail functions to capable lower spheres of government. • Devolved rail functions should be accompanied by financial resourcing. • Accompanying private sector operations is less risky than infrastructure ownership. • Devolution of both train and bus services can enhance modal integration.