A dramatic improvement in rail
services between Durban and
Gaborone has seen turnaround times
reduced from up to ten days to three,
according to Patrick Masikara, acting
managing director of Gaborone
Container Terminal (Gabcon).
“We’re in continuous talks with
forwarders and shipping lines
to collaborate and find ways to
improve the service offering –
and it has paid off,” he said.
“Where it could sometimes take
anything between seven and ten days
to move a train between Durban and
Gaborone, turnaround times are now
closer to three days.
“Unless there is a derailment or
some major obstruction on the line
we are seeing a consistent, efficient
and fast service,” said Masikara.
He sees collaboration as the key
to a reliable and cost-competitive
service. “We don’t work in isolation
and so the terminal, the railway
operator and the service providers
all need to be sitting around a table
coming up with new and innovative
ways to improve our service offering
and add value to the customer. It is
the only way forward.”
He said there was already talk of
introducing express trains to move
cargo faster than ever before – but
to make it viable the volumes had to
be there. “To grab those volumes we
need to ensure there is trust in the
rail system again and that customers
know what the value is when they put
their cargo on rail. Offering a safe,
reliable, dependable and consistent
service every day is the first step in
this process.”
Rail services speed up on Durban-Gabs route
0 Comments
