Recent agreements and investments are reducing congestion at South African ports and expanding freight rail capacity. Vessel queues at Durban have dropped sharply while private operators prepare to enter the market.
Vessel queues at Durban Port fell from 17 to 20 ships in 2023 to about six by March 2026. A 25-year agreement between Transnet and International Container Terminal Services delivered R11-billion in investment and raised container capacity from two million to 2.8 million.
Richards Bay coal exports reached a 60 million tonne annualised run rate in January. Transnet is seeking a private partner to increase dry bulk capacity by 45 percent to nearly 27 million tonnes a year.
In August 2025 the government approved 11 private train operators to run freight services on 41 routes. Traxtion completed an $86-million equity raise to buy 46 locomotives and 920 wagons, creating more than 660 jobs. The Public Investment Corporation participated in the funding round.