Page 18 - Case Study Annual 2018

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Mozambique Ports and Railways (CFM), the
Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC) and
the Grindrod private terminal operator in Matola
(TCM).
The Phala Channel (Transnet Freight Rail
operating channel running from Phalaborwa to
Maputo/Richards Bay/Durban) then reviewed the
service design and implemented changes so as to
increase slot availability, improve asset utilisation
and reduce dwell times, thereby improving
volume throughput between South Africa
and Mozambique. As a result of the increased
demand planned for the Maputo Corridor, the
Joint Operation Centre (JOC) was then set up to
ensure joint planning and deviation management
for traffi c to and from Maputo. The JOC has
representation from Transnet Freight Rail (TFR),
CFM, MPDC, TCM and Swaziland Railways.
The operating model is continuously reviewed
to ensure the company extracts the maximum
level of effi ciencies at all times. TFR executes
the trains to the handover point at Komatipoort,
where locomotives are uncoupled, and CFM
then couples the load for departure to Matola in
Maputo.
In terms of magnetite for Matola TCM,
TFR does not uncouple the locomotives at
Komatipoort but hands the train over to CFM
drivers, who then take the magnetite trains to end
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destination for offl oading and return to hand over
trains to TFR drivers at Komatipoort destined for
the mines in the Phalaborwa area.
The decision to have a diff erent operating
model for magnetite was made due to the
fact that as an anchor commodity, uncoupling
locomotives results in additional dwell time and
therefore retaining TFR locomotives reduces dwell
time at the handover point and further improves
reliability as TFR deploys the newer, re-engineered
43 class locomotives to run all the way to the
TCM facility in Matola. The magnetite train’s
run in consists of 75 wagons, which is possible
as the shorter CR-type wagon is used. Coal is
loaded in CFR-type wagons, which are at least
4m longer than the magnetite CR-type wagons,
and therefore the coal train’s run in consists of 50
wagons. Coal to TCM followed the same operating
model as magnetite, where locomotives were
used to the end destination and not uncoupled.
However, this model changed as the allocated 35
class locomotives from the Witbank area became
unreliable and resulted in delays, which then
required a locomotive change at Komatipoort.
The result and way forward
The economic downturn during 2015/16 impacted
volumes severely, but TFR was able to recover in
2016/17 with a 4 percent improvement compared
to the actuals achieved in 2014/15, prior to the
economic downturn. The fi nancial year 2017/18
delivered an astonishing 24 percent growth
in volumes through the corridor. The volume
throughput over the Maputo Corridor has grown
by 50 percent over the past fi ve years.
If the volume performance stagnated at
around 5 million tons per annum as per 2013/14
performance, the additional 2.4 million tons
growth would have been transported by road.
The joint eff ort between TFR, CFM, MPDC,
TCM and customers has therefore contributed to
migrating these volumes to rail and preventing
further damage to the road infrastructure
between South Africa and Mozambique, and
reducing carbon emissions associated with
transporting these volumes on road. The close
working relationship between TFR and CFM
has allowed for CFM drivers to be trained on
the new re-engineered locomotives and further
contributed to Transnet’s Regional Integration
Strategy.
All Maputo Corridor stakeholders meet on a
regular basis to assess the volume performance
and to identify challenges with the aim to sustain
and grow volumes. •
The Logistics News Case Study Annual 2018