Grindrod runs first private test train on national freight rail
Grindrod Limited and Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager finished a test train on the North-East Corridor. Grindrod plans to start commercial operations in 2027 and move about 288,000 tonnes in its first year, mainly coal bound for Mozambique.
The test train left Komatipoort on 1 November as an empty leg. It came back on 2 November with 2,991 metric tons. Grindrod holds two allocated slots on the North-East Corridor.
Grindrod is the first private Train Operating Company to run on the national freight network under the open-access framework. In its first year, it plans to move mainly coal from Mpumalanga to its Matola Terminal in Mozambique. Twelve Train Operating Companies have signed Rail Access Agreements.
Moshe Motlohi, Chief Executive of the Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager, called the test a landmark for rail reform. He said open access is now an operational reality and not only a policy idea. Grindrod Group Chief Executive Officer Kwazi Mabaso said the milestone matters for the company and for the transformation of freight logistics.
Key facts
- Who
- Moshe Motlohi (Chief Executive of TRIM); Kwazi Mabaso (Group Chief Executive Officer of Grindrod Limited); Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager (custodian of South Africa's rail infrastructure, division of Transnet SOC Ltd); Grindrod Limited (first private Train Operating Company to run on the national freight network)
- What
- The test train started in Komatipoort on 1 November 2026 with an empty leg and returned on 2 November with 2 991 metric tons. Grindrod plans to begin commercial operations in 2027, moving about 288 000 tonnes in its first year, mainly coal from Mpumalanga to its Matola Terminal in Mozambique.
- When
- 3 November 2026
- Where
- Komatipoort, North-East Corridor, Mpumalanga
- Status
- Reported