Rail and road explore practical intermodal opportunities

KEVIN MAYHEW
AN INITIATIVE to reduce the gulf that separates the dominant road transport sector from its ailing rail competitor by partnering their capacities to enable the country to achieve its 6% growth rate is under way. The future looks better and progress has been made as the transport sector introduces the National Freight Logistics Strategy (NFLS) that is hinged on more co-operation to reduce the cost of logistics in the country and improve efficiencies. “There are still areas of concern but we are making progress,” says CEO of the Road Freight Association (RFA), Sipho Khumalo. The RFA recently held a function in Johannesburg to highlight business opportunities in a more co-operative environment. Khumalo is an outspoken critic of the NFLS as a document skewed in favour of rescuing rail from perilous practices and unrealistic visions of itself as a transporter of general cargo. The executive manager, strategy, for Spoornet, Alex Masianoga, said that there was more cooperation between the two modes than people generally recognised. “We are visiting each of the needs of the corridors to establish the best modal fit for products such as grain, fuel and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG). In the case of grain, for instance, it is required that the grain moves from the farm to a central hub, clearly a road function. Then rail should be the preferred option,” he said. Much of the cost involved in transferring from road to rail lies in the shunting at both ends of the rail trip and this is a complex operation. “However, with co-operation from road we can reduce this cost as well as reduce lost time in the process,” he said. Senior manager, strategy for Spoornet, Deidre Snyman, said that they were looking at how to expedite solutions vigorously after approaches by members of the RFA to try to find specific freight solutions. “This closer co-operation between ourselves and the freight body has begun showing results as we are actively finding solutions which will be apparent very shortly,” she said.