Abstract:
In South Africa, freight transport movement is largely provided by parastatals in railways,
ports, pipelines, and aviation. However, freight transportation suffers from the challenges
and limitations such as adverse environmental impact, congestion, overloading and high
freight costs. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore how to improve the
economic and operational efficiency of freight road and rail transportation by implementing
the new freight transportation system. In other words, how both transportation modes can
be used effectively to enable lesser travel times, low freight load costs and fast delivery of
diverse commodities in South Africa. The methodology adopted in this study was through
the collection of data by survey questionnaires among various stakeholders involved in the
freight industry which later underwent comparative analysis. The findings reveal that
freight road is much more competitive than freight rail as it can provide fast travel times,
carry less freight loads, and accommodate various commodities. Furthermore, based on
the current study, a domestic intermodal freight transportation is recommended for an
improved economic and operational efficiency of freight road and rail by consideration of
aspects such as freight costs, travel factors and economic contribution; thereby allowing
freight rail to be utilized on long haul distances and road for short distances.
