State-owned freight logistics group Transnet intends launching its much-anticipated tender for new locomotives in August having recorded a 5.6% drop in rail volumes last year as a result of a combination of locomotive shortages and serious operational and security problems. The group lost a total of 1 500 km of overhead copper wire to theft in 2021/22 and was also unable to maintain a number of locomotives, largely as a result of an ongoing dispute with the Chinese Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC), which is refusing to supply the utility with specialised spares.