Improvement of the economic and operational efficiency of freight road and rail transportation in south africa

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.