Durban - An ambitious R22-billion plan for an integrated freight and logistics system was unveiled to the private sector at a meeting held in Durban on Wednesday.
eThekwini Municipality’s 20-year plan includes upgrades to road and rail systems, construction of truck stops, weighbridges and the introduction of a sophisticated computer system linking the port with truck stops and metro police.
It is aimed at improving the efficiency and capacity of Durban port and to cater for the heavier traffic volumes expected once the proposed dig-out port and the Cato Ridge dry port are operational.
eThekwini transport economist Paul Sessions would not discuss finer details of the project with The Mercury, saying it was still in the draft stages and needed to be approved by the council.
Louis Potgieter, project manager at Royal HaskoningDHV, presented draft plans revealing the possibility of new rail wagons and rail lines from the port heading inland, with some bypassing Cato Ridge.
The planned road infrastructure would be linked to the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) plans for a Durban-Free State-Johannesburg logistics and industrial corridor.
Earlier this year, Sanral regional manager Logashri Sewnarain said the first phase of the corridor would be the widening of the N3 between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, which it was estimated would cost R15bn.
There will also be a dedicated freight lane connecting Durban and Cato Ridge.
Potgieter said other roads that would be upgraded included the N2 and M7.
The upgrades were estimated to cost R17.9bn and the four truck stops could cost up to R4.9bn.
“Durban is by far South Africa’s busiest port with over 80 percent of goods moving by road, so we need to improve the efficiency while preparing for possible future developments, like the growth of the Dube Trade Port and so forth,” said Sessions.
When some business owners raised the issue of land availability, Sessions said they would deal with the issue during the implementation stages of the project.
“We may have more than one small truck stop per town if the land doesn’t permit for one big one,” he said.
After the presentation, Chris Magagula, director at Wabona Logistics, said he did not have much faith that the municipality’s plans would be realised.
“It’s all good to talk but we need them to deliver on their promises; for example, start by fixing the existing roads before talking about building new ones,” he said.
“They said they want this to be a public-private partnership, but we know that only the big companies are going to get a piece of the pie. They (government) already know who they are going to partner with, the emerging contractors won’t benefit.”
Firstclass Logistics’ general manager Pregasen Govender said having a dry-port in Cato Ridge and routes dedicated to trucks would provide some “much needed relief to the industry”.
“Moving the bulk of containers by rail from Durban to Cato Ridge would help minimise congestion, which is the main cause for delays in vehicle turn-around time at the harbour. It would be much easier if trucks took the load from there instead of all trucks coming to the harbour,” he said.
He hoped the dry-port would receive exports which could be transported by train to the harbour instead of by truck.
The Mercury