By Larry Claasen
IN a move to shift traffic from road to rail, the Western Cape Mobility Department says it will pilot a 211km rail freight redevelopment corridor project between Bellville and Bredasdorp.
The department says the pilot’s goal is part of its broader strategy to triple the Western Cape export value by 2035. The province sees growing exports as key to expanding the region’s GDP to R1-trillion.
To achieve this, it must overcome barriers to efficient trade, including rail underperformance, road freight dominance, and the complexities of integrating these two modes into a multi-modal system.
Leveraging the Freight Rail Revitalisation Framework
The department hopes lessons from the Western Cape Freight Rail Revitalisation Framework will help address these challenges. The pilot aims to establish a basis for private sector-led freight rail operations and explore opportunities to revitalise branch lines with private sector participation.
It will work to remove infrastructure and regulatory constraints affecting rail viability, improve coordination through existing structures, and enhance the efficiency of the Port of Cape Town via an integrated supply chain approach to reduce costs.
Integrated supply chain enhancements
In addition, it will work to improve the efficiency of the Port of Cape Town through an integrated supply chain approach that improves freight movement and reduces costs.
“The business case is a strategic initiative aimed at revitalising freight rail, focusing on reconnecting the agricultural region of Caledon with the Belcon Inner Terminal in Bellville and the Port of Cape Town,” said Western Cape Mobility Minister Isaac Sileku, in his budget speech.
Framework for provincial corridor cxpansion
Darryl Jacobs, acting head of department, speaking at Rail Africa, said the pilot would help set up a framework for similar corridor projects in the province, as it was eventually looking at replicating it on the Ceres, Riebeek West, and Atlantis rail links.
“We believe there are key barriers to efficient trade, mainly rail underperformance and road freight dominance, as well as the complexities of integrating these two modes into a multi-modal system,” said Jacobs.
He adds: “The objective, very simply, is to develop a financially viable and bankable rail project by assessing long-term freight demand, operational feasibility, and investment potential.”
He said digitalisation and the employment of tools such as AI would play a crucial role in overcoming trade barriers and unlocking trade efficiency.
Harnessing digitalisation and Innovation
“The Western Cape government’s proven innovative capacity can be leveraged to achieve this. I believe that this key point regarding digitalisation is that there are many costs and efficiency gains where we put out the need to invest in expanded rail networks.”
Jacobs hoped that the impact of the project would not only be felt in the Western Cape, but also throughout Africa.
“And while our focus was largely on the Western Cape, the realities in Africa’s infrastructure and supply chains are interconnected. We must see and encourage collaboration across the strategic regions, the African Union, and in support of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.”
