'No shortage of rail wagons on Natcor'

There is no shortage of rail wagons on the Durban-Gauteng corridor. That’s according to senior account executive in TFR’s container and automotive business unit, Bilqees Essa, who told FTW last week that sufficient wagons had been ring-fenced on that corridor. Any shortage of rail wagons would be the result of a derailment or an issue beyond TFR’s control like the recent truckers’ strike. “When you run a rail service, the departing train is the resource of the incoming train,” executive manager in TFR’s intermodal business unit, Wiseman Madinane, explained. “If there’s a derailment or train cancellation at either end the train will not arrive. “Which is why the recent truckers’ strike impacted TFR so severely. We couldn’t get the boxes into the terminal which led to an imbalance in the number of wagons coming down to supply loads coming up.” Another factor to consider is the train configurations, said Essa. “At Pier 1 you can run 75-wagon trains and at Pier 2,50-wagon trains, but at Maydon Wharf it’s not as easy to shunt as at DCT. It can take 20 wagons at a time – so you might have the wagons but to place that number of TEUs will take three to four shunts. “So while there may be a perception that there’s a shortage of wagons, it’s not the case – it’s all about communication and understanding as an industry,” said Essa.