Moving forward

South Africa’s gradually evolving open-access railway system is starting to deliver.

Logistics company Grindrod has undertaken a successful dry run on the country’s Northeast Corridor, the first private operator to do so, reports Engineering News.

Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager (TRIM), a division of Transnet SOC Ltd, and Grindrod Limited have marked a major rail reform milestone with the successful completion of Grindrod’s first test train on the North-East Corridor. https://t.co/Jrt7Gm5JAq #GovZAUpdates

— @SAgovnews (@SAgovnews) November 3, 2026

The test run started at Komatipoort with empty wagons and returned with 2 991 tons.

The company, which has been allocated two slots on the. corridor, now plans to officially start operations in 2027, transporting about 288 000 tons of coal a year from Komatipoort to Grindrod’s Matola coal terminal in Mozambique.

The test-run involved Grindrod’s own locomotives and wagons.

Grindrod’s achievements follow on from the launch of the Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager (TRIM) and its signing of rail-access deals with 11 private train operating companies (TOCs) and state-owned Transnet Freight Rail (TFR).

‘Through collaboration with private operators such as Grindrod, we are creating a more competitive and efficient rail network that supports economic growth and strengthens South Africa’s logistics capability,’ said TRIM CEO Moshe Motlohi.

‘As an integrated logistics provider, the ability to combine rail operations with our terminal infrastructure and corridor footprint enables us to deliver greater efficiency, reliability and value to our customers. We are proud to partner with TRIM in demonstrating the practical benefits of rail reform and helping restore rail as the backbone of bulk freight transport,’ said Grindrod CEO Kwazi Mabaso.

TRIM, which has oversight of the country’s rail network, has been established as a separate Transnet subsidiary from TFR. It is committed to increasing freight rail to 250 million tons by 2030 from the 168 million railed in 2025/2026.

Mining.com reports that TRIM expects the private TOCs to carry an additional 20 million tons a year from this year.

According to the Presidency, TRIM has allocated 41 new routes across the six corridors. The corridors are: the North Corridor (coal and chrome); the Ore Corridor from Sishen to Saldanha Bay; Cape Corridor (manganese); Northeast Corridor (coal, chrome, magnetite, fuel, containers); Central Corridor (coal, containers, manganese); and the Container Corridor (coal, sugar and containers).