There is a big change coming to South Africa’s rail network
PRETORIA — The manager responsible for South Africa’s Transnet rail network has secured a three-year safety permit, removing an important regulatory hurdle as the country prepares for a major increase in private freight operators using the state-owned network.
The Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) granted the permit to Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager (TRIM) after assessing its safety management systems, governance arrangements, risk processes and controls for managing the rail infrastructure under its responsibility.
The three-year approval is significant because TRIM is becoming the central manager of a rail system that is being opened to competing train operators as part of government’s attempt to reverse years of declining freight rail performance.
Under the new structure, TRIM manages and maintains the rail infrastructure, controls traffic and allocates network capacity, while Transnet Freight Rail operates trains and will increasingly share the network with private companies. Transnet says the separation is intended to create equitable access while keeping the underlying rail infrastructure in state ownership.
That transition is already moving beyond policy.
In May, TRIM announced that 11 train operating companies had been allocated slots on the Transnet network, increasing the potential number of active operators from one to 12 across five strategic freight corridors. The allocated capacity could add about 24 million tonnes of freight annually, with government targeting an increase in national rail volumes from approximately 180 million tonnes to 250 million tonnes by 2030.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has previously said the first of the newly allocated operators is expected to begin operations from April 2027.
The safety permit therefore arrives as responsibility for the network becomes more complex. TRIM will have to manage infrastructure and traffic across a system used by Transnet Freight Rail and a growing number of independent operators, while ensuring that safety standards are consistently applied.
The RSR said the permit followed a regulatory assessment intended to establish whether TRIM had the systems and controls required to safely discharge its responsibilities. The approval will remain valid for three years, subject to regulatory oversight and compliance with the conditions attached to the permit.
South Africa’s rail reform is aimed at addressing one of the country’s persistent economic constraints. Deteriorating infrastructure, insufficient maintenance and declining freight volumes have forced substantial quantities of minerals, agricultural products and other goods onto roads, while exporters have struggled with logistics bottlenecks.
Government has acknowledged that the condition of parts of the Transnet network remains a concern and that public funding alone will not be sufficient to rehabilitate all of the infrastructure. It is consequently pursuing private investment while maintaining state ownership of the network.
A final Network Statement published by TRIM in September sets out the rules governing access, capacity, infrastructure, operational corridors and agreements between the infrastructure manager and train operating companies. Transnet describes the framework as a key part of establishing an open-access rail system.
The three-year permit does not resolve the condition of South Africa’s rail infrastructure or guarantee that private operators will deliver the volumes government is targeting. It does, however, give the organisation responsible for managing that transition regulatory authority to continue operating the network as South Africa moves towards a multi-operator freight rail system.
Anyone with additional information can contact the press desk at press@townpress.co.za or drop a tip on our annonymous platform https://tips.townpress.co.za/