{"id":828240,"date":"2025-06-21T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-21T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=828240"},"modified":"2025-06-20T14:08:31","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T12:08:31","slug":"the-man-who-wants-to-build-a-sky-train-in-cape-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/motoring\/828240\/the-man-who-wants-to-build-a-sky-train-in-cape-town\/","title":{"rendered":"The man who wants to build a sky train in Cape Town"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Gareth Ramsay, a South African development engineer, is the man leading a proposal to introduce a \u201csky train\u201d system to Cape Town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He argues this would ease traffic congestion, modernise public transport, and better use underutilised infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His plan is for a modern elevated rail system that would run from the Cape Town CBD toward the Atlantic seaboard, potentially integrating with the city\u2019s Foreshore Freeway Bridge.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Ramsay, this project<\/a> would improve mobility in one of the city\u2019s most congested areas and could serve as a high-capacity, future-proof alternative to current public transport solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The City of Cape Town, however, has stifled Ramsay\u2019s sky train proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rob Quintas, the city\u2019s mayoral committee member for urban mobility, confirmed that the elevated railway idea is not under consideration.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the city is conducting a scoping study on the broader Foreshore Freeway Precinct to explore long-term transport and land use solutions, Quintas said that a sky train simply isn\u2019t financially viable.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe infrastructure, rolling stock, and ongoing operations of a modern elevated railway would be prohibitively expensive when weighed against the city\u2019s budget constraints,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, Quintas pointed out that international experience shows such systems typically require continuous subsidies to remain operational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cape Town has already committed significant resources to its MyCiti bus service, which Quintas sees as a more practical and cost-effective investment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The MyCiti network runs throughout the CBD and surrounding suburbs like Green Point and Sea Point, and the city believes that improving this service is a better use of funds than building an entirely new transport system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ramsay, however, has challenged the city\u2019s stance, particularly its dismissal of the sky train without what he sees as a meaningful review.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He told TopAuto<\/a> that the city\u2019s statement that the train system is \u201cnot a consideration\u201d suggests that it has not received serious scrutiny or formal evaluation.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He is not opposed to the city rejecting the project if deemed unviable, but he takes issue with the apparent lack of investigation or feedback since the proposal was submitted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

City of Cape Town should reconsider <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Ramsay acknowledged the city’s support for expanding the MyCiti network as a viable long-term solution.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, he pointed out that the physical limitations of the city’s road infrastructure, particularly in densely populated areas like Sea Point and Green Point, limit the potential capacity for the bus system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He noted that narrow roads, limited space for dedicated bus lanes, and the buses’ large turning circles all reduce their efficiency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In many parts of the city, MyCiti buses are caught in the same congestion as private vehicles, undermining their appeal as a public transport alternative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ramsay further pointed out that future urban development, such as the mixed-use plans for the Three Anchor Bay site, will increase population density in key areas, adding even more pressure to already saturated road networks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also highlighted the limitations of the MyCiti system during peak periods or after major events. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A sky train, by contrast, could move that same number of passengers within two minutes, providing a far more efficient solution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While he acknowledged that the sky train would involve substantial upfront costs, he argued that its long-term cost-efficiency and transport benefits outweigh the initial investment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe question is increasingly becoming less and less of whether or not we can afford it, but rather whether we can afford not to,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Citing an older estimate, Ramsay noted that completing the Foreshore Freeway would cost over R2.1 billion without meaningfully improving congestion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that roads are vulnerable to traffic accidents that can shut down areas for hours, while a rail system avoids such delays. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also suggested that the sale of the Three Anchor Bay site, potentially worth R700 million, could help fund the initial phases of the rail project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ramsay rejected the argument that elevated rail systems should be dismissed because of their reliance on subsidies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the economic and social returns, such as increased productivity, reduced commuting times, and improved commuter well-being, typically justify the public investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It is hypocritical to claim that extending a rail system is not viable due to subsidies, especially when the MyCiti Bus service benefits from national government subsidies,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis support is justified, given the positive impact the service has on citizens’ lives and the Cape Town economy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also pointed out that bus services are vulnerable to fuel price volatility, which ultimately affects commuters. Electric-powered rail systems, he argued, offer greater long-term economic and environmental stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ramsay believes the sky train could be a transformative transport project for Cape Town, which could alleviate traffic and improve urban development and economic growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All 3D image models and illustrations featured in this article were created by JetJunky Builds Real World Cities.<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sky train concept<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Gareth Ramsay, a South African development engineer, is the man leading a proposal to introduce a \u201csky train\u201d system to Cape Town.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":828244,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11119],"tags":[2356,22872,6816,853],"class_list":["post-828240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motoring","tag-city-of-cape-town","tag-foreshore-freeway-precinct","tag-myciti","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=828240"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828240\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":828741,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828240\/revisions\/828741"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/828244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=828240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=828240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=828240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}