South Africa's first private freight train completes its test run
Grindrod carried 2,991 tonnes from Komatipoort on Monday, the first private operator on the national network under open access.
Johannesburg — South Africa's rail reform has moved from paper to track. Grindrod has completed the first test train run by a private operator on the national freight network under the country's open-access framework.
The train left Komatipoort on 1 November on its empty leg and came back on 2 November carrying 2,991 tonnes, using Grindrod's own locomotives and wagons on the North-East Corridor.
"It demonstrates that open access is no longer a policy concept but an operational reality," said Moshe Motlohi, chief executive of Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager, the division that runs the network.
What comes next
Grindrod plans to start commercial services in 2027, moving about 288,000 tonnes in its first year. Using two allocated slots, it will mainly carry coal from Mpumalanga to its Matola Terminal in Mozambique.
Twelve train operating companies have now signed rail access agreements.
Source: SAnews, November 2026.
