The volume of perishables moving on rail is expected to double this year, according to Mitchell Brooke of the Citrus Growers’ Association.
“Rail has really picked up on the back of a lot of ground work,” he told FTW recently, saying the movement of the 2017 citrus was logistically all sound with no major hurdles being experienced.
According to Mike Asefovitz, spokesperson for Transnet Freight Rail (TFR), there has been a deliberate focus on moving more fruit from the northern hinterland on rail.
“The target is to progressively grow this market to between 15% to 30% over the next three years,” he said.
Currently four to five trains run per week with an average of 38 wagons. The plan is to progressively move to 10 to 14 trains with an average of 48 wagons over the next three years.
Asefovitz said the freight rail operator had initially targeted the citrus, avocado and grape growers moving these crops during their high seasons from the north of the country to the port of Durban. “We are however open to any reefer traffic running out of these seasons,” he said.
“The biggest benefit of using rail is the decongestion of the port and the surrounding areas. The containers run straight from the source into the port stack,” said Asefovitz.
“Fewer trucks on the road means less damage to the national roads and improved road safety, while better synchronisation between inland and port stacks results in higher success in meeting the vessel sailings.”
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Rail has really picked up on the back of a lot of ground work. – Mitchell Brooke
