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President Cyril Ramaphosa has assented to the Rail Safety Bill which provides for the regulation of railway safety in the country and recognises that safe railway operations are fundamental to the safety of all persons and the environment.

The new law provides for the regulation of railway safety and for the continued existence of the Railway Safety Regulator.

The law introduces railway safety permits as well as a national railway safety information and monitoring system.

The law recognises that safe railway operations promote the use of rail as an efficient mode of transportation and that the effective provision of railway safety demands uniform policy, norms and standards.

The Bill assented to by the President seeks to repeal the National Railway Safety Regulator Act of 2002 which was last amended in 2009, notwithstanding major developments such as a massive rolling stock investment programme and the introduction of the first standard gauge railway system in the country.

The legislation also promotes the harmonisation of South Africa’s railway safety regime with the objectives and requirements for safe railway operations of the Southern African Development Community.

This is a significant prerequisite for greater regional integration.

Issued by the Presidency