Cost benefits favour overborder rail option

KEVIN MAYHEW
CHANGING LEGISLATION in neighbouring countries, road bond fees and the demands of clients could see logistics operators turning to rail for cargo moving from Durban to destinations like Zambia, according to the owner of SRP Logistics, Robert Pillay.
The switch, which contrasts with a general trend away from rail as reflected in a recent feature by FTW, is driven mainly by the need to provide cost-effective logistics options in an environment that requires changing loads from rail to road or the other way round by certain countries.
“Clients may be willing to absorb slower times in their delivery to benefit from the cost advantages of rail, so as a service provider I must consider it an option for clients. Everybody complains about the road bond fees charged,” he said.
Bayhead-based SRP provides road and rail logistics to Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
It handles import transhipments, groupage cargo and consolidates cargo.