Abstract
This dissertation attempts to study the freight rail operational efficiency of South African railways to develop a new freight rail operational efficiency enhancement model. Efficiency is an essential indicator that measures operational performance for improving freight reliability and client satisfaction, which is measured by on-time performance.
South African Railway has made several attempts to improve itself through resource optimization, but the overall incremental gain has been marginal, which has hampered its ability to increase its share of freight transportation. When trains are performing poorly it affects projected tonnages and consequently results in client dissatisfaction. Although the development of South African railway operational efficiency still has some problems that are barriers to its development, such as vicious competition and productivity, searching for new, factors that can improve efficiency in freight transportation models could be useful for survival strategies. As a result, this research attempts to create a "freight rail operational efficiency enhancement model.”
The objective of the study is to identify factors and establish aspects that impact the freight railway operational efficiency while making use of the noted elements in creating a freight railway enhancement model in a South African freight rail company.
In this study, AHP and TAM&UTAUT models were applied. A questionnaire was distributed randomly to the selected group of employees around TFR and a sample of 152 participants was used. The questionnaire was created to investigate the freight railway operational efficiency.
The findings revealed that computerized scheduling techniques together with high-quality infrastructure with sufficient capacity that meets clients’ demands can improve operational efficiency. The research has contributed to the limited body of knowledge in South African freight railway operations research by identifying factors that contribute to the enhancement of freight railway operational efficiency and on-time performance of trains.