The National Department of Transport (DoT) said on Wednesday that it had completed a detailed investment programme of action for the South African rail network.

DoT director-general George Mahlalela said at a work-in-progress briefing in Johannesburg that certain "catalytic projects" had been identified within the programme.

"We are adopting an approach which suggests a sequenced delivery approach for the rail sector over a 20-year period."

The programme first identified three high-speed rail projects for possible development, namely Johannesburg to Durban, Johannesburg to Cape Town, and Johannesburg to Musina.

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), which operated the Metrorail service, had also identified the need for recapitalisation of its rolling stock fleet over the next 18 years.

Another project of the investment programme is a commuter rail corridor between Tshwane and Moloto, which DoT might develop jointly with the provincial governments of Gauteng and Mpumalanga.

Mahlalela said that the DoT would first conduct the necessary feasibility studies for the high-speed rail projects, starting with the Durban-Johannesburg project.

"As of October, a team will start with the dual process of concept development and testing the market for a period of six months. We are hoping that, at the end of this process, we will be able to determine whether there is enough appetite for this project in the market.

"The initial scoping suggests that it is possible for the project to be commercially-driven on a public-private partnership model.

"There are also possibilities for country-to country cooperation."