Logistics group Grindrod has become the first private company to run its own train on South Africa’s national freight rail network, completing a test round trip from Komatipoort on the North-East Corridor on 1–2 November. The train, made up of Grindrod’s own locomotives and wagons, returned with 2,991 tonnes, Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager (TRIM) said. TRIM has signed access agreements with 12 private train operators, and Grindrod plans to start hauling coal from Mpumalanga to its Matola terminal in Mozambique in 2027, about 288,000 tonnes in the first year. The run turns the opening of Transnet’s network to competitors into working traffic; how far it grows depends on more train slots and corridor capacity.
Sources
- Infrastructure News: https://infrastructurenews.co.za/2026/11/05/trim-and-grindrod-successfully-complete-first-private-test-train-on-the-north-east-corridor/
- Reuters via Club of Mozambique: https://clubofmozambique.com/news/grindrod-to-begin-coal-haulage-from-south-africa-to-mozambique-on-transnet-rail-in-2027/
- Freight News: https://www.freightnews.co.za/article/grindrod-lines-up-open-access-coal-trains-to-maputo