Derailment jams up Gauteng – Durban flow

TWO TRAIN derailments
blocked the main railway
line at Balgowan (near
Newcastle) last Monday
and jammed up the flow
of containers between
Gauteng and Durban for
three days, according to
Lawrie Bateman, MD of
MSC Logistics.
It had a major impact
on container movements
between SA’s main
industrial centre on
the Reef and the main
container port in the
country, he added – with
a number of fully-loaded
container trains held up
on either side of the line
blockage.
It also caused a major
shortage of available
wagons in other parts of
the country, according to
Bateman.
“Obviously because
hundreds of loaded wagons
were all just sitting there,
on their way to or in
Durban,” he said.
The following week saw
the railways busy playing
catch-up.