Military cargo specialists call for greater rail reliability

Despite huge capital investment in infrastructure and rolling stock, South Africa’s rail system has some way to go. “While one welcomes the investments being made, it is important to note that an improvement of the railways does not just mean improving the infrastructure, but also the services and reliability of it,” says Swannie Swanepoel of C4 Logistics, specialists in the logistics and movement of military, military-related and hazardous cargo. He said much of the cargo for which the company was responsible had to be moved by rail for safety and security reasons. “This type of cargo by law is not allowed on road and therefore cannot be held up by an unreliable system as it poses major safety and security risks. We have no other choice but to use Transnet Freight Rail and hope the investments pay off in a faster and more reliable and dependable service.” According to his business partner, Reinhardt Swanepoel, the company has had to make some serious adjustments to the logistics involving their cargo due to some of the branch lines closing down. “South Africa needs its rail network. It plays an integral part in the movement of cargo. It is time to start working on achieving the goals and targets that TFR has set to ensure that companies remain competitive when using this particular mode.” According to Swanepoel, using the railway system – especially for the hazardous cargo they move – calls for careful planning. “By law much of the freight we are involved in is not allowed to be stacked and has to be kept in special areas at the ports. Therefore we have to get our timing perfectly right – it calls for experience and knowledge of the industry,” he said. “A dependable rail service would make a huge difference.” Pretoria-based C4 Logistics opened its doors in 2009 during one of the toughest economic environments in the country. Since then it has seen major expansion, growing by a whopping 150% in 2011, said Swanepoel. “In the military industry the freight is not really volume-based, but due to its sensitive nature it has to be handled with utmost care. We have branched out into the general freight arena more recently and are hoping to grow the company in the next few years even more.”