What happened
On 1 and 2 November, Grindrod ran a test train with its own locomotives and wagons on the North-East Corridor from Komatipoort, carrying 2,991 tonnes on the return leg.. According to the Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager (TRIM), the Transnet division that now manages the national rail network, Grindrod is the first private train operating company to run a test train under the new open access regime..
Grindrod has two slots on the corridor and plans to start commercial operations in 2027, carrying about 288,000 tonnes in its first year, mainly coal from Mpumalanga to its Matola terminal in Mozambique.. TRIM says it has signed rail access agreements with 12 train operating companies, including Grindrod..
Why it matters
For years, open access on South Africa’s rail network was a policy document.. Now a private operator has actually run a train, which shows the basics work: the access agreement, the slot, the train plan and the handover between TRIM and the operator..
But keep it in perspective.. 288,000 tonnes a year is less than 0.2% of the 167.9 million tonnes Transnet’s freight rail carried in the year to March 2026, as reported by Reuters..
The real test will come when several operators share busy corridors, and the questions move on to slot allocation, access charges, security on the line, and who pays when a train is held up because of someone else..
What you should do
If you move bulk or containers on South African corridors, find out which of the 12 operators plan to run services on your routes and when, and start talking to them now, because early customers will shape those services..
And if you rely on Transnet Freight Rail today, ask how the slots given to private operators will affect your own allocations on shared corridors..
Source: Transnet / TRIM statement · SAnews · Reuters via CNBC Africa
