Rail success demands co-modal approach

Africa appears to have woken up to the urgency of rail, particularly in the mining sector. “This has resulted in more investment in rail and we are starting to see projects being completed that will make a major difference to the movement of commodities,” says Lars Greiner, managing director of Greiner Mendi Associates. One such line nearing completion is the Lobito railway line that will link Angola and the DRC while a new railway line in Mozambique has been up and running for some time. But experts agree that for rail to succeed there needs to be more than just an investment in infrastructure. Kriba Naiken, managing director of Quattro Freight and director of Quattro Logistics Solutions, says it is not simply about putting the infrastructure down and cargo moving off road onto rail. “We have to look at supply chains in their entirety and understand their requirements and then apply the best solutions,” he said. This is far more of a co-modal approach than the intermodal approach so far. “It is far more of a collaborative approach between all the various entities to find the best supply chain for the product based on the trend of the year. This requires a more holistic view,” he said. For rail to truly become an active player in moving commodities across Africa it must be far more f lexible than what is currently the case. “As an industry we need to work towards a model where we can implement supply chain solutions based on the latest market intelligence. Being f lexible and agile is crucial to being competitive globally,” says Naiken. Like Greiner, Naiken says there is no doubting the hunger railways have for getting cargo or the role it can play in moving goods cost effectively. “Our railway model and the way we use rail, however, needs to be one that understands the market better and is able to react quickly to changes – locally or globally.” INSERT & CAPTION For rail to truly become an active player in moving commodities across Africa it must be far more flexible. – Kriba Naiken