Journal of Transport and Supply Chain Management ISSN: (Online) 1995-5235, (Print) 2310-8789 Page 1 of 9 Original Research Rail freight transportation concerns of developing economies: A Namibian perspective Author: Background: Although rail transport appears to be well established and outperforming other 1 Fanny Saruchera transport modes in Europe and beyond, in the majority of developing economies it was Affiliation: observed that firms and travellers were, on the contrary, shunning from the rail. Despite 1Department of Marketing considerable infrastructural investments in the African rail systems, the sector has been and Logistics, Namibia deteriorating over the years. University of Science and Technology, Namibia Objectives: This study identifies the freight rail transportation problems faced by African developing economies, focusing on Namibia, and examines the potential actions and factors Corresponding author: Fanny Saruchera, for minimising such problems, drawing lessons from some of the developed world’s success
[email protected] stories. Dates: Method: The objectives of this study are achieved through a survey of Windhoek-based Received: 02 Dec. 2016 industrial and logistics firms operating in Namibia. Self-administered survey questionnaires Accepted: 28 Mar. 2017 were distributed through the aid of trained research assistants. Published: 24 May 2017 Results: The study’s results show that some of the reasons of shunning rail transport are a How to cite this article: matter of attitude, whereas some are related to operational challenges. The study confirms that Saruchera, F., 2017, ‘Rail freight transportation the transport mode used and ownership of the freight transport services used can affect the concerns of developing degree of satisfaction for the transportation of goods in Namibia.