Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) experienced a slight improvement in rail volumes in the last quarter of 2023 just as implementation of the entity’s recovery plan got under way.
The quarterly performance rate of delivery to the Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) had risen from 47.10 million tonnes in the third quarter to 48.74mt in the fourth quarter, TFR has said in a statement.
The rail freight carrier's North Corridor, which handles an estimated 41% of total TFR volumes and supports key commodity sectors, including export coal and chrome, showed signs of recovery.
The corridor was able to improve RBCT’s export coal volume tonnages from averaging below one million tonnes per week to 1.1m tonnes by December 2023.
Transnet acting group chief executive Michelle Phillips said the widely reported challenges with security, locomotive availability and reliability, as well as network reliability, had hampered TFR’s performance on the corridor over the past few years.
“Management is implementing a number of initiatives in the short, medium and long term, to ensure operational improvements. The partnership with industry is resulting in a decline in the number of cable theft incidents on the corridor, although some sporadic incidents still occur,” Phillips said.
“Transnet continues to intensify deployment of security measures to reduce cable theft and infrastructure vandalism.”
Transnet and RBCT signed a Mutual Cooperation Agreement in November 2023, which allows for collaboration on fast-tracking maintenance and operations sustaining procurement.
Transnet is forecasting to rail 49mt of export coal to RBCT against a declared capacity of 60mt for the financial year ending March 2024. By the end of December 2023, total rail volumes of 35.8mt had been delivered.
“Transnet continues to implement recovery initiatives in partnership with the National Logistics Crisis Committee and other stakeholders in line with its mandate to provide reliable, integrated, and seamless port and rail solutions,” Phillips said.
