STAKEHOLDERS IN South Africa's rail industry came together in Midrand last
week at the Africa Rail 2001 exhibition and conference where suppliers and
consultants offered their views on how to improve the industry in the country.
FTW's Leonard Neill filed these reports.
'Law must nail overloaders'
Government and private sector must push intermodal support policy
GREATER LAW enforcement is required against road transport operators who are abusing the generous gross vehicle masses allowed in this country, says John Thompson, chief executive officer of the Rail Road Association of South Africa.
So vigilant should the authorities be in this respect that they should be able to impose heavier fines and regular offenders should have their equipment seized and sold to defray damage costs, he said at the Africa Rail 2001 exhibition and conference at Midrand last week.
The road deterioration problems are being compounded by the fact that most of the country's roads were not constructed to cater for the volumes and weights of the heavy vehicles traffic now in operation, he said. Thompson's chief objective is to see the restoration of a proper balance between road and rail in the freight industry with a greater move back to the railways.
"Government should advance the concept of intermodal transport to allow rail, road and the harbours to dovetail synergistically. Since the deregulation of the road laws in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the truckers have, however, come to the fore in disproportionate numbers.
"Since the deregulation of road transport and the abolition of the restrictive road permit system, there has been intense competition between road and rail, and now heavy vehicle overloading has become a problem. This is not only proving very costly to the taxpayer but is also leaving the country's rail infrastructure grossly under-utilised.."
Now RRA wants government and the private sector to work together to institute an intermodal support policy.
"You need only look at the Automobile Association report which shows that some 70% of the country's roads are in need of repairs which will cost an estimated R65billion. The irony is that the truckers have been afforded the most generous gross vehicle masses in the world outside of the Scandinavian countries on an unrestricted access basis.
"In the light of the current destructive competition, government must promote intermodalism if the country is to reap the joint benefits of road and rail."
