Transnet coal corridor pulls off miracles but it's not enough

The new executive team at Transnet has performed miracles in arresting and reversing the decline in volumes freighted on the coal corridor. However, it still won't reach its nameplate capacity of 75 million tons (Mt) in 2024.

- Ciaran Ryan

Nor will that happen until serious investment is ploughed into a network groaning from decades of under-investment and poor maintenance. Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) under CEO Russell Baatjies has performed miracles with what resources it has, said Jan Havenga, Stellenbosch University professor of logistics.

There has been a turnaround in performance, with the assistance of the private sector through the intervention of the National Logistics Crisis Committee and Business Leadership SA.