Derailment jams up Gauteng – Durban flow

TWO TRAIN derailments blocked the main railway line at Balgowan (near Newcastle) last Monday and jammed up the flow of containers between Gauteng and Durban for three days, according to Lawrie Bateman, MD of MSC Logistics. It had a major impact on container movements between SA’s main industrial centre on the Reef and the main container port in the country, he added – with a number of fully-loaded container trains held up on either side of the line blockage. It also caused a major shortage of available wagons in other parts of the country, according to Bateman. “Obviously because hundreds of loaded wagons were all just sitting there, on their way to or in Durban,” he said. The following week saw the railways busy playing catch-up.