Transit traffic supports Swaziland Railway

Transit traffic has allowed Swaziland
Railway to survive through a
harsh economic climate that has
seen importation of factory inputs
diminish with a corresponding drop
in finished goods exports.
“At a time when import and export
volumes are tumbling, transit traffic
volumes increased by more than 10%
thanks to the support of Transnet
Freight Rail, which provided the
resources to transport minerals from
Phalaborwa and pushed for joint
execution of these operations,”
Stephenson Ngubane, director
of operations and marketing at
Swaziland Railways told FTW.
Transit traffic of SA rail-carried
goods has boosted the landlocked
nation’s rail system during earlier
economic boom years, and has
provided a lifeline for the firm this
past year.
“Swaziland Railway has had to
survive in a harsh economic climate
that saw exports of textile products
(one of Swaziland’s key industries)
decrease dramatically. These export
products are containerised then
shipped to overseas markets, and
Swaziland railway experienced a
low transport services demand. The
manufacturing industry in Swaziland
imports material and then exports
finished goods, and imports declined
due to the low demand for inputs,”
Ngubane said.
As the economy improves,
Swaziland Railway will continue
playing a critical role in the SADC
economy, Ngubane said, providing
direct access to South African and
Mozambican ports.
“The geographic position of the SR
network facilitates faster transit times
to and from ports,” he said.
Logistic and infrastructure
advancements are also continuing
regardless of the economic slump.
“Swaziland Railway and TFR
continue to remove obstacles to train
service integration. The company
has embarked on mechanised
track maintenance in order to cope
with the high utilisation of the
track, necessitating intensive track
maintenance to ensure high standard
of work,” Ngubane said.