A high-speed rapid rail link is on the cards for South Africa, linking Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. The notion will be put to cabinet later this year.

According to Transport Minister Sbu Ndebele, addressing a press conference in Parliament on Tuesday, his department is finalising details of the proposed links.

He said that the journey from Durban to Johannesburg will take merely three hours instead of the customary 12, and will greatly improve economic development. Rapid rail systems are an essential for a modern state, he said. "Whether you are talking about Germany or Britain".

"They are talking about China now. (In) China right now a high-speed train is under construction, it will be finished in the next three years, from Shanghai to Beijing.

"It is a most efficient people mover." He pointed to the regular clogging of the N3 and the accidents caused on it. "It's the busiest route in South Africa," he said." If those people were on the train it would work out. "It needs a lot of planning and certainly a lot of finance to do it," the minister said.

Though he was mainly speaking at the briefing about the Johannesburg to Durban link, he said afterwards that the entire concept of linking all three cities would be put to the cabinet simultaneously.