TFR expects to handle 1.1m TEUs by 2016

By 2040, national container volumes are forecast to hit 20 million TEUs a year – and Transnet Freight Rail is determined not to be caught short again playing catch-up on its investment. “The real work needs to begin now,” says TFR sales and marketing executive Bheka Xaba. “What we have recorded from discussions with our customers is that in the last financial year we handled 556 000 TEUs. Our target for 2010/11 is 675 000, a 21% increase. And by 2016 we expect to handle 1.118m TEUs.” These figures are calculated by tracking rail market share on a monthly basis, says Xaba. “We take the total port figures, exclude transhipments and coastwise and that gives us what is rail friendly on the long haul. It also excludes 40% of short haul volumes and includes MPT container volumes. “On the Natcor corridor, from April 2010 until now, our market share has reached 34% – so by the end of the financial year we will have reached the target set three years ago and the commitment we made to exco will have been reached a year earlier.” A pleasing result. Xaba is equally satisfied with market share on the Cape corridor – at 26% – and on the PE corridor where it currently stands at 39%. This paints a clear picture of the additional capacity that will be necessary to meet demand, but it will be achieved not only by capital investment in additional equipment, but also by working smarter. Part of the solution will be the expansion of its Anaconda project – running 75-wagon trains rather than 40 wagons to maximise existing capacity. Plans are already in place to increase the frequency of the Anaconda on the Johannesburg-Durban route from three to five times weekly and to introduce the concept on the Pretcon corridor as well. TFR has run successful test trains between Pretcon-Durban and its awaiting the Rail Safety Regulator’s final approval, he said.