Okwamanje akunakwenzeka ukuthatha isitimela ukusuka eMarrakech eMorocco ukuya eRiyadh eSaudi Arabia - ukusuka komunye umkhawulo wezwe lama-Arab ukuya kwelinye. Kodwa ngokuhamba kwesikhathi kungase kube okungaphezu kwephupho nje njengoba igagasi lokutshalwa kwezimali okukhulu kwezohambo lwesitimela lishanela isifunda.
Izitimela zinomlando omude eMpumalanga Ephakathi naseNyakatho Afrika; I-Egypt ikleliswe njengezwe lesithathu emhlabeni futhi elokuqala eMpumalanga Ephakathi ukusebenzisa izitimela ukuthutha abagibeli. Abanye baze baphikise ngokuthi, njengoba ngesikhathi izitimela zethulwa eNdiya zaziyingxenye yoMbuso WaseBrithani, i-Egypt kufanele ikleliswe endaweni yesibili.
Umjovo wemali wamanje uwukukhanya ekugcineni komhubhe omude kakhulu, omnyama. Isinqumo sohulumeni sokutshala imali emigwaqweni emikhulu nasezikhumulweni zezindiza ngemva kweMpi Yezwe Yesibili saholela ekwehleni kwengqalasizinda yezitimela, kusho uDavid Briginshaw, umhleli oyinhloko we-International Rail Journal.
Isithombe namuhla sehluke kakhulu, ngokuqaphela okukhulu ukuthi ujantshi uyindlela yokuthutha esimeme kakhulu, futhi lokho kudala inguquko enkulu ekusetshenzisweni kwemali kukaloliwe emhlabeni jikelele.
Emuva ohambweni lwethu olusuka eMarrakech ukuya e-Riyadh. Kungakanani okungenzeka ukuhlanganisa namuhla?
E-Morocco, Inkampani Kazwelonke Yezitimela (i-ONCF) ngoNovemba 2007 yamemezela izinhlelo zokwakha inethiwekhi yesitimela esinesivinini esiphezulu esekelwe ku-TGV yesitimela sase-France, esizokwelula amamayela angu-932, sixhuma wonke amadolobha amakhulu futhi siqedwe ngo-2030. Abagibeli abayizigidi ezingu-133 okulindeleke ukuthi basebenzise inethiwekhi minyaka yonke uma sebeqedile.
Njengesibonelo sezinzuzo zezitimela ezintsha i-ONCF ilinganisela ukuthi isikhathi sokuhamba phakathi kwamadolobha abalulekile aseMarrakech naseCasablanca sizoncishiswa kusukela emahoreni amathathu nemizuzu eyi-15 ukuya ehoreni elilodwa nemizuzu engama-20.
Ukusuka eMorocco kunemizila yesitimela ekhona eya eTunisia nase-Algeria, kodwa ngenxa yesimo sezepolitiki umngcele we-Algeria usavaliwe. Nakuba iLibya inezinhlelo zokwakha ujantshi wesitimela ngasogwini, azikho izinhlelo ezibambekayo okwamanje, njengoba iLibya ingenayo imali edingekayo emisebenzini yengqalasizinda emikhulu kangaka.
Kuze kube kuvulwa iSuez Canal ngo-1869, ujantshi waseGibhithe nawo wawusetshenziswa kakhulu ukuthutha impahla ngaphezu kwenjongo yawo yasekuqaleni yokuthwala abagibeli. Nakuba iminyaka yenethiwekhi yaseGibhithe iwumthombo wokuziqhenya, ku-2007 imigqa yayingekho lokho.
Ezingozini ezimbili ezihlukene, abantu abangaba ngu-400 balahlekelwa ukuphila kwabo ngesikhathi behamba kojantshi. UBoulos N. Salama, uprofesa wezitimela eNyuvesi yaseCairo Faculty of Engineering, ubekwe icala lokuhola uphenyo ngalezi zingozi. Lokhu akutholile kuye kwaholela ekutheni uhulumeni akhiphe izigidigidi ezili-14 zamarandi ukuze kuthuthukiswe uxhaxha lwezitimela zikazwelonke.
Imali izosetshenziselwa ukwakha imigqa yokuya emadolobheni amasha nakhula ngokushesha ngaphandle kweNayile Delta. I-Cairo ihlose futhi ukupompa imali ekuthuthukiseni amasistimu amadala wokusayinda imishini asasetshenziswa kumaphesenti angama-85 emigqa.
Ibhuloho elilandelayo lokuwela endleleni eya e-Riyadh yiNhlonhlo yaseSinayi exhuma iGibhithe ne-Israel, ngokusho kukaBriginshaw. Azikho izinhlelo zokuxhuma amanethiwekhi kaloliwe amabili esikhathini esizayo esibonakalayo.
Kunesabelomali sokuqhubeka nolayini okhona osuka eDimona uye e-Eilat phezulu eGulf of Aqaba, kusho uYaron Ravid wakwa-Israel Railway. Lokho kwakuzoletha ujantshi emngceleni neGibhithe. Ukwelulwa kolayini kuzoxhumanisa i-Eilat elungele izivakashi ne-Ashdod, okungelinye lamadolobha amakhulu amabili echweba akwa-Israel.
Kodwa-ke, okwamanje, iphrojekthi eyinhloko kwa-Israel iwumzila wesivinini esikhulu ozoxhumanisa amandla ezombusazwe aseJerusalema nenhloko-dolobha yebhizinisi, iTel Aviv. Lo mzila bekumele uqedwe ngo-2008, kodwa ubhekene nokubambezeleka kweminyaka emihlanu.
Mayelana nokwanda kwakamuva kokwakhiwa, uRavid uthi intshisekelo yokwakhiwa kwezitimela ingachazwa ngokuthi uhulumeni useyaqonda ukuthi izinkinga zezokuthutha zezwe ngeke zixazululwe ngokwakha imigwaqo eminingi.
Ngokombono wezobuchwepheshe akukho nkinga ekuxhumaniseni inethiwekhi yakwa-Israyeli neJordani, kusho uRavid. Kukhona isiphakamiso - nakuba kungekho sabelomali esabiwe - ukwakha umugqa osuka edolobheni elisethekwini laseHaifa uya eJordani, uwele eSheikh Hussein Bridge, ngaleyo ndlela uxhume indawo yezimboni etholakala ohlangothini lwaseJordani nendawo yokuthutha eyengeziwe.
Okuwukuphela komugqa wezimpahla osindayo waseJordani ugijimela e-Aqaba eningizimu yezwe, nayo enesixhumanisi esingajwayelekile esiya eSyria. ISyria ibe isixhunyaniswa neTurkey, lapho uhulumeni utshala imali eyizigidigidi eziyi-1.3 ekuxhumaniseni i-Ankara neSivas empumalanga yezwe, nokuqhubekela phambili e-Iraq.
Igebe elilandelayo emzileni wethu lisuka e-Iraq lidlule eKuwait wehle uye eSaudi Arabia kanye naseGulf. Kunohlelo oseluneminyaka eminingi lwaba khona lokwakha ulayini onqamula esifundeni sase-Gulf osuka e-Basra e-Iraq uye e-Kuwait futhi uye eningizimu ye-United Arab Emirates.
Isigaba sokugcina salolu hambo yilokho okubizwa ngeSaudi Landbridge, iphrojekthi ehlanganisa umugqa wamamayela angama-590 phakathi kwenhloko-dolobha iRiyadh kanye nechweba loLwandle Olubomvu iJedda, kanye nokuxhumana okungamakhilomitha angama-71 phakathi kwedolobha lezimboni iJubail neDammam, indawo kawoyela eGulf coast. Yonke iphrojekthi ilinganiselwa ku-$5b.
Ukusuka e-Jedda isixhumanisi esisha sikaloliwe sihlose ukuthutha abantu abalinganiselwa ezigidini eziyi-10 abahambela i-Umra kanye ne-Hajj minyaka yonke ukuya emadolobheni angcwele iMecca neMedina. Kufaka phakathi ukwakhiwa kwamamayela angu-310 wesitimela esihamba ngesivinini esikhulu sikagesi phakathi kwamadolobha amathathu. Imigqa emisha izovumela izitimela ukuthi zihambe ngamamayela angu-180 ngehora, okuvumela uhambo lwe-Jedda–Mecca oluyisigamu sehora, kanye ne-Jedda–Medina emahoreni amabili.
Sekungamashumi eminyaka i-Eurail pass, ivumele ukuhamba kumanethiwekhi kaloliwe kazwelonke angama-21 eYurophu, nezitimela ezidlula ngaphandle komthungo emingceleni yamazwe ngamazwe. Abanye abathuthukisi bezitimela babona uhlelo olufanayo lweMpumalanga Ephakathi.
Kodwa-ke, okwamanje, kuzothatha isikhathi ngaphambi kokuba izivakashi eziya eMpumalanga Ephakathi zikwazi ukunqamula isifunda ngendlela efanayo, futhi uthando lohambo olusuka eMarrakech luya eRiyadh luhlala lusendaweni yamaphepha.
