Grindrod starts private coal test from South Africa to Matola

By James Calloway

Grindrod handled 2,991 tonnes of coal on 2 November 2026 in what the operator described as the first private freight train on South Africa’s national rail network. The train of empty wagons departed Komatipoort, Mpumalanga, on 1 November and returned the following day, using locomotives and wagons owned by Grindrod.

The cargo belonged to NG Global Energy Solutions and was unloaded at Grindrod’s Matola dry-bulk terminal in Mozambique. The operation ran in cooperation with Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager (TRIM), which manages access to South Africa’s state-owned railway network. Mozambique’s national railway company, Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique (CFM), manages the Komatipoort-Maputo section.

What did the test establish?

The measured result is one 2,991-tonne loaded return using company-owned rolling stock and an existing export terminal. It shows that Grindrod can combine its own train operation with managed access to the national network and CFM’s cross-border infrastructure. It does not establish a steady annual rate.

For Grindrod, the test extends an existing logistics business connecting inland mines with export terminals into rail operation. That gives the company direct responsibility for service delivery while leaving access to each rail system with its infrastructure manager. TRIM retains network-access management, while CFM retains management of the Komatipoort-Maputo section.

What changes in 2027?

Grindrod plans to begin commercial freight services in 2027, initially moving approximately 288,000 tonnes a year. It has received two weekly train paths on the North-East Corridor for coal customers in the Belfast area of Mpumalanga, linking them with the export terminal at Matola. The allocation sets the intended frequency; the tonnage remains a company projection.

That distinction matters for fleet and network planning. The trial confirms that Grindrod-owned locomotives and wagons can complete the route, but it does not show whether two paths each week can sustain the planned load over a full year.

The announcement provides no locomotive or wagon count, consist size, transit time, tariff or capital cost. Available data therefore cannot establish the service’s unit economics or support a comparison with competing routes. Nor do they provide a basis for claiming that private operation will deliver the government’s wider capacity target.

What does wider private access change?

South Africa has opened its freight rail infrastructure to private operators while retaining public ownership of the network. In May 2026, TRIM signed rail access agreements with 11 new train operating companies covering coal, manganese, containers, fuel and general freight. The change puts train operation under private companies while TRIM continues to manage access.

The government expects the initial allocations to introduce up to 24 million tonnes of additional annual rail freight capacity, with potential to reach 52 million tonnes over five years. It presents the programme as a way to move South Africa towards 250 million tonnes of annual rail freight by 2030. These are government projections, not recorded throughput.

Grindrod’s 288,000-tonne starting plan is much smaller than the government’s initial capacity figures, but the two numbers measure different things: one is proposed company cargo, while the other is potential network capacity. Converting allocated paths into regular loaded trains, rather than holding access agreements alone, will determine whether private access adds traffic.

Can Matola handle the growth?

Matola handled 9.9 million tonnes of coal and magnetite in 2025, compared with 8.1 million tonnes in 2024. Grindrod acquired full ownership of the terminal in May 2025 and is investing in an expansion targeting annual throughput of 12 million tonnes by the first quarter of 2027. The 12-million-tonne figure is a target rather than a measured result.

The commercial phase will test whether two weekly trains can produce the planned 288,000 tonnes, whether CFM and TRIM can maintain reliable handover across their sections, and whether Grindrod’s fleet can sustain the frequency. The next checkpoint is commercial operation in 2027; until then, the loaded test shows operational capability, not proof of annual capacity.