Traxtion locomotive
Private rail freight operator Traxtion sees the national government’s structural reform agenda as a rare opportunity for the private sector to leverage massive investment in train sets to unlock one of the biggest structural impediments to growth in the South African economy, which is train capacity.
The company refers to the announcement that South Africa’s rail network will be opened to third-party freight operators in 2022, as reiterated in the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement last week.
Traxtion is now assessing its options for raising capital to make use of this opportunity. The company intends on introducing a meaningful number of trainsets in the country once the structural reform is in place.
The company says the South African government is on the right track with its rail reform agenda, citing the example of when the Tanzania-Zambia Rail Authority allowed additional tons to be moved by Calabash Freight, which saw 1 860 Tazara rail line’s freight volume grow by 26% year-on-year.
Traxtion already has a workshop complex in Pretoria that is capable of servicing more than 300 locomotives; the complex includes a parts inventory and supply chain division, supplying rail consumables throughout Africa.
The complex also houses a Rail School where the company takes in semiskilled artisans from the local community and trains them to the highest technical qualification in Africa.