RFA: Time for rail ‘to carry its load’
The Road Freight Association has urged rail industry companies to take advantage of new opportunities in the sector.
It comes after Transport Minister Barbara Creecy's recent approval of the Transnet Network Statement.
The statement will open access to third-party operators on the country's rail network.
RFA spokesperson Gavin Kelly says it's time for the rail industry to carry its load.
He says this is underwritten by the impact witnessed on roads across the country, where trucks carrying cargo are often involved in accidents.
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"We have seen what the movements of tonnes and massive freight onto the roads in our country have caused roads that were never to built to take on the number volumes of vehicles or the axle mass loads, and this is even before any sort of overloading into play."
Meanwhile, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party's Lucky Montana says the party rejects the plan.
"This programme fails to address the central programmes facing our freight rail system or address even the damning findings by the auditor general on Transnet. In the last financial year, Transnet made a loss of over R7 billion. In its half-year results, it posted R2.2 billion in losses. The demise of Transnet is accelerating fast."
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