Transnet secures court order to access withheld CRRC locomotive spares

Source: Archive

Transnet halted the supply of 1,064 locomotives from four original equipment suppliers, including CRRC E-Loco, citing irregularities in contracts valued at 54.4bn rand ($3.18bn). In 2023, Transnet reported that 161 locomotives supplied by CRRC were non-operational due to withheld spares and maintenance support, affecting freight operations.

Transnet CEO Michelle Phillips said the court had recently issued a further order ensuring the delivery of the parts, which were stored in South African warehouses.

"I was not going to pay for my own parts again. We went back to court, and we then got an order giving the CRRC five days to deliver those parts to Transnet," Phillips said.

"So these last few days, we've been accessing those (parts). We are busy doing a full inventory of all of those parts," she added.

CRRC E-Loco was not immediately available for comment.

Operational impact on freight volumes

The ongoing dispute, which also involves locomotives not supplied under the terminated contract, has worsened Transnet’s equipment shortages. Freight volumes have dropped from a peak of 226 million metric tonnes in 2017/18 to 160 million metric tonnes in the 2024/25 financial year.

In addition to contract disputes, Transnet’s performance has been affected by cable theft and infrastructure vandalism. The delivery of the CRRC spares is expected to support the operator’s efforts to restore locomotive availability and improve freight reliability.