Investor and developer NT55 Investments believes the Distribution Junxion development – a proposed inland port and railway park in Gauteng – will transform the country’s rail and transport logistics landscape through its efficient supply chain performance and the considerable cost savings it will engender.

NT55 Investments director Francois Nortje told the media during a briefing last month that the company owned considerable portions of the land on which the proposed development would be built. This includes 107 ha abutting the Durban–Johannesburg railway line, 80 ha along the N3 highway, about 20 ha along Barry Marais road and a further 60 ha that has been earmarked for future development.

The company’s intention was to develop this property into “the most significant inland logistics and distribution hub in Southern Africa”, he said.

The overall cost of the development was estimated at about R10-billion, Nortje indicated, adding the development would be undertaken in phases.

NT55 plans to develop a landscaped logistics park, a rail park and a highway park with optimal traffic flows that include wide, double-lane roads and large turning circles.

Nortje indicated that Distribution Junxion offered unique features that provided it with a competitive advantage, mainly, its optimal location, topography and scale.

As with a seaport, the port is located on the entry and exit points for imports into and exports out of Gauteng.

The port will comprise at least 1.2-million square metres of gross lettable area. It enjoys prime location within the “champagne positions of logistics” – positioned to reduce double travel, as goods will not be required to travel past their entry point and be transported back again.

Highway Park will comprise 80 ha, with a 1.2 km frontage onto the N3 at the Barry Marais offramp. Future Park will comprise 60 ha of level land on Neverdeen road.

There is also 20 ha of business/support services land available bordering the Barry Marais road.

A portion of the railway park has capacity for warehouses. The flat land of the port – with a land gradient of only 2 m over a distance of 1.2 km – is ideal for the development of large warehouses with a footprint upward of 50 000 m2 , which will result in considerable cost savings on rentals, as it can be developed at a cheaper cost, given that the land does not have to be levelled.

Nortje indicated that, given these specifications, the company would be targeting large multinationals to build and lease warehouses, with interest already being shown. The shape and length of the land are noted as ideal for the construction of an efficient rail megaterminal. NT55 is offering operators the opportunity to manage, operate and/or lease the rail terminal.