Traxtion Doubles Fleet as S. Africa Ends State Rail Monopoly (1)

Private South African freight-rail operator Traxtion will invest 3.4 billion rand ($199 million) in locomotives and wagons, almost doubling its fleet as the country’s more than century-old state rail monopoly comes to an end.

The acquisition of 46 locomotives will allow the Johannesburg-based company, which operates in nine other African countries and is the continent’s biggest private rail firm, to run freight trains on Africa’s largest network of rail lines. State logistics company Transnet SOC Ltd.has struggled to meet demand, holding back economic growth.

Since 2022, when the government approved a new national rail policy to reorganize the country’s ...