Next Africa

Africa’s Biggest Rail Network Is Thrown a Lifeline

Private firms to run trains on South Africa’s state-owned tracks.
A freight train at the Port of Gqeberha on South Africa’s south coast on March 6.Photographer: Leon Sadiki/Bloomberg

Welcome to Next Africa, a daily newsletter on where the continent stands now — and where it’s headed. Sign up here to have it delivered to your email. In today’s edition, we look at a plan to resuscitate South Africa’s dilapidated rail system. And:

South Africa’s decrepit rail system, one of the main drags on growth in the continent’s biggest economy, has been given a lifeline.