Exploring some Manageable Factors Influencing the Availability of Train Authorisation Systems in South Africa

The performance of the railway industry significantly influences the performance and growth of a country’s economy. Recent performance reports from both the freight and passenger rail industries indicate that there has been a steady decline in the performance of the South African railway industry. The railway industry’s performance and capacity depend on various departments, including the Train Authorisation Systems or signalling department. The research focuses on investigating the factors that improve the availability of train authorisation systems (TAS) in South Africa. The literature emphasised the deterioration in the performance of the railway network in South Africa. Some of these performance issues can be attributed to the unavailability of the TAS equipment. The review also detailed the complex nature of the railway and TAS equipment and the specialised knowledge and skill required to maintain the systems. The empirical investigation concluded that the factors identified as contributors to the unavailability of the TAS are within the control of industry management. Then, practical and implementable recommendations were made to address the challenges identified. The results obtained through the execution of the empirical investigation confidently state that the railway industry does not contribute to the development and growth of the economy to the necessary and expected extent. In addition, it can also be concluded that the unavailability of the TAS equipment is contributing to this poor performance. However, there are practically implementable steps that management can take to address this unavailability of TAS.