Transport or transportation is the movement of people, animals and goods from one

location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline and
space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles and operations. Transport is
important because it enables trade between people, which is essential for the
development of civilizations.

Transport infrastructure consists of the fixed installations including roads, railways,

airways, waterways, canals and pipelines and terminals such as airports, railway stations,
bus stations, warehouses, trucking terminals, refueling depots (including fueling docks
and fuel stations) and seaports. Terminals may be used both for interchange of
passengers and cargo and for maintenance.

Vehicles traveling on these networks may include automobiles, bicycles, buses, trains,
trucks, people, helicopters, watercraft, spacecraft and aircraft.

Operations deal with the way the vehicles are operated, and the procedures set for this
purpose including financing, legalities, and policies. In the transport industry, operations
and ownership of infrastructure can be either public or private, depending on the
country and mode.

Passenger transport may be public, where operators provide scheduled services, or

private. Freight transport has become focused on containerization, although bulk
transport is used for large volumes of durable items. Transport plays an important part in
economic growth and globalization, but most types cause air pollution and use large
amounts of land. While it is heavily subsidized by governments, good planning of
transport is essential to make traffic flow and
restrain urban sprawl.
Transport essential for development

Transportation is often overlooked or

taken for granted in creating an
environment for development.

Undiwe Toyi, head of the public private

partnerships strategic business unit at
the Industrial Development
Corporation (IDC), say air, road and rail
links are essential for industrial
development to occur.

One of the reasons the IDC is so involved in the rest of Africa is the impetus mining
operations are providing for the development of a transportation infrastructure, she says.

There are many mining resources in Africa that have not been fully developed, and a lack
of transportation infrastructure is often the main cause.

To be able to mine you must have road and rail infrastructure and preferably a hub
infrastructure to facilitate exports. She says commodity prices have I have seen on the
rise around the world. There is a need for these commodities, and prices are good, but
to develop effective mining operations Africa needs the infrastructure. She says while
African government are involved in developing transport infrastructure, mining
companies have also taken a leading role in this development.

To says the IDC is evaluating a funding proposal for Gautrain. It is a major South African
transport infrastructure project and they are evaluating the possibility of providing a
performance bond for the black economic empowerment partners participating in the
project.