‘Rail remains a let-down’

Rail remains an unreliable
mode of transport in South
Africa despite claims by
authorities that much has been done
to improve the infrastructure and
rolling stock.
“It is just not dependable and any
company wanting to offer a timeous
and professional service will find
themselves being let down by rail
more often than not,” says Alwyn
Nel, managing director of Kingfisher
Freight. “The biggest problem that
we have is that of the infrastructural
collapse which ranges from derailments
to cable theft – and
that means trains are not operating.
And if trains are standing, so is
the cargo.”
Add to that the fact that rail is not
always cheaper, and road remains
the best option.
“Road is manageable. If something
happens to a truck, you can
find a solution even if it means sending
a second truck and reloading all
the cargo. With rail your hands are
chopped off completely and there
is absolutely nothing you can do
but wait for the cargo. Using rail
remains risky.”
But maintenance and the improvement
of the road infrastructure is
crucial to the industry if it wants to
offer a world-class service.
“The road infrastructure in the
country is definitely not perfect
as the maintenance backlog on
especially secondary roads is huge.
Challenges facing the industry are
that of traffic volumes, ensuring
the infrastructure is continuously
upgraded and keeping fuel costs
to a minimum.”