‘Poor wagon management delays deliveries’

WITH REFERENCE to the article headlined “Wagon shortage holds back PE - City Deep traffic” (FTW February 21, 2003), I can confirm poor management of the wagon fleet by Spoornet. Our company manufactures infrastructure components for Metro and Spoornet who get preferential transport rates within Spoornet. The problem however is that manufactured products must wait on the floor to be loaded, because wagons and chains are not available as ordered. This results in late deliveries to our clients who can penalise us for late deliveries according to our contracts. The availability of chains (in our case to fasten the manufactured products on the wagons) also adds to the poor wagon fleet management. The latest problem experienced was that we were not allowed to move the goods which were already loaded onto available Spoornet wagons, because there were no Spoornet chains available to fasten the material. This again resulted in late deliveries. Ensten Steyn.