Railway operators urged to consider cost and quality of locally manufactured rolling stock

Although the Southern African Development Community is able to manufacture, maintain, repair and upgrade rail rolling stock to high standards, the high costs of local manufacturing are driving railway operators to import from abroad instead, a panel of speakers agreed during the South African Rail Association Conference and Exhibition, in Johannesburg, on August 21. Eswatini Railways CEO Stephenson Ngubane, who led the panel, expressed concern over railway operators' reliance on international markets.