Private freight rail operator Traxtion plans to obtain internationally recognised identification numbers for its R3.4-billion rolling-stock portfolio, which the company said could support future financing and leasing transactions.
Traxtion said it planned to become South Africa’s first private freight rail operator to implement the Unique Rail Vehicle Identification System (URVIS).
Under the system, each locomotive or wagon receives a permanent identifier that remains with the asset throughout its operational life, enabling it to be identified and traced.
URVIS supported the Luxembourg Rail Protocol, which took effect in South Africa in May 2025, Traxtion said. The protocol provides a framework through which lenders and lessors can register and protect their financial interests in railway equipment.
According to the company, the framework is intended to reduce legal risks associated with rolling-stock finance, including uncertainty over asset ownership and recovery.
It could help private operators access the long-term funding required to acquire locomotives and wagons as South Africa’s freight rail network opened to third-party operators, Traxtion CEO James Holley said.
“The Luxembourg Rail Protocol doesn’t build railways or buy trains, but it creates the legal certainty that makes those investments easier to support,” he said.
