Rail still needs to earn its stripes

While the industry acknowledges the need for a modal shift from road to rail – particularly for bulk cargo – there are still serious concerns around the efficiency of rail. “Convincing customers that railways are efficient is a key challenge in effecting the modal shift, particularly as railway operations have been left to fall into disrepair over the past few decades,” said Lindiwe Dlamini, minister of public works and transport for Swaziland, speaking at the Southern African Railways Association (Sara) conference held in Johannesburg late last month. Thsenolo Mabeo, minister of transport and communications for Botswana, echoed Dlamini’s sentiments, commenting that railway operators and administrators needed to find ways to ensure they met customer demands, creating a culture of “proactive responsiveness”. He added that governments needed to invest further in rail, not only to develop the muchneeded infrastructure and purchase equipment, but to ensure ongoing maintenance and upgrades. “This would also send a message to prospective customers that there was commitment to efficiency and safety,” said Mabeo. Swaziland Railway CEO, Stephenson Ngubane, commented to FTW on the sidelines of the conference that government investment in railways would mean more value for customers. “Wellmaintained infrastructure and equipment means better delivery times and makes the movement of cargo that much more cost-effective,” he said. He added that although railways were owned, or partowned, by governments in many SADC countries, they needed to conduct business on a commercial basis. Nelson Nyangu, director general of transport for Zambia’s ministry of transport, pointed out that countries needed to work together to ensure efficiency. “Movement of goods transcends borders and it is therefore vitally important to improve rail connectivity between countries and establish regional integration on systems and standards,” he said. INSERT & CAPTION Convincing customers that railways are efficient is a key challenge in effecting the modal shift. – Lindiwe Dlamini