Exploring privatisation as a panacea to the creation of value in South Africa's passenger rail service

dc.contributor.advisorBehrens, Roger
dc.contributor.authorLata, Johanna
dc.date.accessioned2024-05-14T13:05:38Z
dc.date.available2024-05-14T13:05:38Z
dc.date.issued2023
dc.date.updated2024-05-07T13:31:52Z
dc.description.abstractPassenger rail in South Africa is deemed to be problematic because of its poor service quality, with various sources (e.g. National Household Travel Surveys 2003, 2013 and 2020) pointing to the service getting progressively worse with the passage of time. To reform passenger rail and change its fate, many governments around the world, beginning in the 1980s, implemented different forms of privatisation, mainly partnerships between governments and private companies. This became the face of passenger rail, and it is what some stakeholders are advocating for in South Africa. This dissertation, therefore, used four case studies – namely, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Kenya and South Africa (Gautrain) - as well as in-depth interviews with 9 experts and 2 rail users, to explore whether privatisation is a panacea to an ailing railway, and the value it can bring. Assessment of privatisation in the literature, case studies and expert interviews was done using analysis and comparison across a number of indicators, which have been found to influence the outcomes of privatisation. The findings from the three data sources mostly supported each other, in addition to some very interesting insights uncovered from the interviews. Based on the findings, the dissertation concluded that passenger rail privatisation was not a panacea to improve its poor service quality. However, given the appropriate conditions and processes derived from the matrices used, rail privatisation can result in benefits for the rail user in South Africa. These findings and the recommendations made in the final chapter contribute to the debates and thinking behind passenger rail privatisation in South Africa, and thus help to chart a way forward
dc.identifier.apacitationLata, J. (2023). <i>Exploring privatisation as a panacea to the creation of value in South Africa's passenger rail service</i>. (). ,Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment ,Department of Civil Engineering. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/39622en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationLata, Johanna. <i>"Exploring privatisation as a panacea to the creation of value in South Africa's passenger rail service."</i> ., ,Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment ,Department of Civil Engineering, 2023. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/39622en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationLata, J. 2023. Exploring privatisation as a panacea to the creation of value in South Africa's passenger rail service. . ,Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment ,Department of Civil Engineering. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/39622en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Lata, Johanna AB - Passenger rail in South Africa is deemed to be problematic because of its poor service quality, with various sources (e.g. National Household Travel Surveys 2003, 2013 and 2020) pointing to the service getting progressively worse with the passage of time. To reform passenger rail and change its fate, many governments around the world, beginning in the 1980s, implemented different forms of privatisation, mainly partnerships between governments and private companies. This became the face of passenger rail, and it is what some stakeholders are advocating for in South Africa. This dissertation, therefore, used four case studies – namely, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Kenya and South Africa (Gautrain) - as well as in-depth interviews with 9 experts and 2 rail users, to explore whether privatisation is a panacea to an ailing railway, and the value it can bring. Assessment of privatisation in the literature, case studies and expert interviews was done using analysis and comparison across a number of indicators, which have been found to influence the outcomes of privatisation. The findings from the three data sources mostly supported each other, in addition to some very interesting insights uncovered from the interviews. Based on the findings, the dissertation concluded that passenger rail privatisation was not a panacea to improve its poor service quality. However, given the appropriate conditions and processes derived from the matrices used, rail privatisation can result in benefits for the rail user in South Africa. These findings and the recommendations made in the final chapter contribute to the debates and thinking behind passenger rail privatisation in South Africa, and thus help to chart a way forward DA - 2023 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town KW - Civil Engineering LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PY - 2023 T1 - Exploring privatisation as a panacea to the creation of value in South Africa's passenger rail service TI - Exploring privatisation as a panacea to the creation of value in South Africa's passenger rail service UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/39622 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/39622
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationLata J. Exploring privatisation as a panacea to the creation of value in South Africa's passenger rail service. []. ,Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment ,Department of Civil Engineering, 2023 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/39622en_ZA
dc.language.rfc3066Eng
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Civil Engineering
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Engineering and the Built Environment
dc.subjectCivil Engineering
dc.titleExploring privatisation as a panacea to the creation of value in South Africa's passenger rail service
dc.typeThesis / Dissertation
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationlevelMPhil
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
thesis_ebe_2023_lata johanna.pdf
Size:
2.94 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.72 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Collections