SA Business Integrator Volume 12 I Issue 4 | Page 17

2
Principal freight corridors
4 1
2
1
DURBAN TO GAUTENG: The N3 and the 688km Container Corridor connect the Port of Durban with South Africa’ s largest industrial and consumer market. Containers, vehicles, fuel, grain, chemicals, and manufactured goods move between Durban and inland terminals, including City Deep.
3
5
1
2
2
THE COAL ROUTE: Coal moves from the
3
Waterberg and Mpumalanga coalfields through
Ermelo to power stations and the Port of Richards
4
Bay. The heavy-haul railway is supported by road
feeders connecting mines and industrial sites to
the main line.
3
SISHEN TO SALDANHA:
An 861km heavy-haul railway links the Northern
Cape mining region with the Port of Saldanha. It primarily carries iron ore, with smaller volumes of manganese, cement, and lime.
4
GAUTENG TO CAPE TOWN:
The N1 and long-distance rail network run through the
Free State and Northern
Cape to Bellville and the
Port of Cape Town. The corridor carries containers, fuel, cement, grain, fruit and general freight.
5
5
NORTHERN CAPE TO THE EASTERN CAPE: Manganese from the Hotazel mining region moves south towards Gqeberha and the deepwater Port of Ngqura. Rail provides the principal export channel, while road carries overflow and more time-sensitive cargo.
REGIONAL GATEWAYS: The N4 and North- East rail routes connect Gauteng, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga with Maputo through Komatipoort. The N1 and rail network reach Zimbabwe through Beitbridge, with onward connections to Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Western routes connect South Africa with Botswana and Namibia.
South Africa’ s freight gateways
DURBAN Containers, vehicles, fuel, and general cargo
GQEBERHA Vehicles, containers, and bulk cargo
NGQURA Deepwater containers, transshipment, and manganese
RICHARDS BAY Coal, chrome, magnetite, ferrochrome and woodchips
CAPE TOWN Containers, fruit, refrigerated exports, and liquid bulk
EAST LONDON Vehicles, grain, containers, and general cargo
MOSSEL BAY Petroleum products, fishing, and offshore services
SALDANHA Iron ore, crude oil, LPG, and mineral bulk
Road and rail are complementary. Rail carries dense, long-distance bulk flows, while road provides feeder services and final delivery. The challenge is to restore rail where it works best and make the handover between road, rail and port reliable. �
Sources: Transnet annual results and Freight Rail corridor profiles; Transnet National Ports Authority; Statistics South Africa Land Transport Survey; Department of Transport. Reporting periods are shown against each figure. sabusinessintegrator. co. za 15