Until rail networks throughout southern Africa adopt a uniform approach, regional integration will remain a pipe dream. That’s the view of Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) strategic knowledge executive manager Elvin Harris, who told delegates at last week’s Transport Forum Rail Day event in Johannesburg that while Transnet was committed to integrating South Africa with the rest of the continent, there were several realistic challenges to achieving this goal.
“It is a part of our programme for the next ten years, and it’s something we have discussed with regional port and railway authorities as well as at the African Union level,” said Harris. “The difficulty is that the economy is not growing as much as we would have hoped which puts pressure on the revenues we earn – and that forces us to either downscale investment projects or push them out for several years.”
Capacity creation, which was necessary to push forward the integration agenda, was therefore on a backburner, he said. But financial constraints were not the only challenge, he added.
“Even South Africa’s rail network is not homogenous, which translates into a much more complex system when looking at rail integration with neighbouring countries.
“I’m not talking necessarily about standard gauge or Cape gauge differences; from the history we’ve come from, it’s a very complex environment we’re dealing with,” said Harris. “We are six railways in one, not one homogenous railway. “If we run a train from Polokwane to Cape Town, we’ve got to change locomotives four times because the network is not consistent. You’ve got different axle weights and different train authorisations, so we have to spend more money for every ton that we move than for example the US.”
But it’s not all bad news, according to Harris who said TFR was still pursuing integration on a project-byproject basis. He pointed to the work being done with the Maputo Corridor Logistics Initiative and said that TFR was currently working towards financial closure for the Swazi Rail Link deal – which he said was finally gaining traction.
“At least on some projects, on some things, we can see some progress happening, even though it’s slow going.”
Even South Africa’s rail network is not homogenous which translates into a much more complex system. – Elvin Harris
